


Changing the Stars

by Hermaline75



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Blood and Injury, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Science Fiction, Switching, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2019-09-29 08:30:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 83
Words: 79,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17200094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hermaline75/pseuds/Hermaline75
Summary: Running away with a man from the distant future might have been a mistake.Or maybe not.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Over a year ago, I wrote a very silly story in which 19th-century impoverished Loki took in a man who fell from the sky having mistaken him for an angel who turned out to be intergalactic criminal and all round good-time guy Thor. You can read it [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11512737)
> 
> And, well... Sometimes follow ups take a bit of time to ferment.

"He's going to need a translator. And some new clothes. And some vaccines."

Thor's voice entered Loki's ears from far away. He recognised it as Thor, even though they had only been able to understand one another for about five minutes. He felt like he'd been asleep for a very long time. Hours. Days maybe. And yet he didn't feel rested at all.

What had happened after he got into the tin can?

Thor had said something about... suspension? Or was it animation? Most of it hadn't made any sense. And he'd said it was just the same as being on a train.

No train Loki had ever been on. It had involved straps. Clicking buckles made of metal. A chair that folded out of the floor.

Come to think of it, he didn't actually remember falling asleep... He'd sat down and Thor had closed the big door and now he was waking up alone in Thor's vessel.

"Vaccines?" he heard a woman say as he began trying to undo the ties. "What kind of vaccines?"

"Uh... All of them?"

Pressing certain panels freed various limbs, but others did nothing but move the chair, lurching in decidedly unpleasant ways...

"Thor. I'm going to ask you something and I'd like you to be very honest with me. Where exactly did you pick this guy up?"

"Earth. Nowhere particularly special. Somewhere in the north I think."

"Thor..."

She had a distinctly long-suffering tone. Maybe she dealt with Thor a lot.

And perhaps the reality of the situation was beginning to hit home for Loki suddenly. He was who knew where in the company of a criminal he had mistaken for an angel and now he had no memory of an unknown amount of time and no guarantee that he was going to be kept safe and not abandoned or immediately sent back to his life of toil and tedium.

A woman appeared in the doorway in front of him. At least, there were features that he believed were female, though she looked like no one he had ever seen before. She had brown hair, clipped very short, and strange jewels embedded in her skin. Her clothes were strange too; a kind of tunic, but made of the most peculiar fabric. Shiny, in a sort of pale green with white trim. Trousers beneath it and slippers. And the same choker-type device that Thor wore, the one that made his words intelligible.

"He's awake," she said, hurrying forwards to help him with the last few ties.

"Thank you," he said, trying to stand but finding himself rather weakened. She didn't acknowledge his words.

"How long were you traveling?" she called.

"Not that long," Thor said. "An Earth month or so."

"A month?" Loki asked. "That isn't possible. Have I been ill? Fevered? Delirious?"

The woman frowned at him, a ring in one of her eyebrows moving very oddly.

"What language is he speaking?" she asked. "Are you absolutely sure you were on Earth? I have at least a passing acquaintance with most of their languages even without translation, but I'm only catching a few words here and there."

Thor leant his head round the door and skipped aboard.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "Sorry about this. Coming round can be rough. You'll be fine in a few minutes, I promise."

Loki felt his legs and arms tingle, like they had been numb and were only now regaining circulation.

"Why doesn't she understand me?" he asked. "She has one of your... necklaces."

Thor helped him up, supporting his weight, practically lifting him out of the tin can.

"Mine is special. It has extra languages in it. Hers translates her speech but it has limited reception."

Stumbling out into a bright, white room, Loki found himself staring. Was this some kind of cathedral or church? The walls were covered in glass, it seemed, glass and jewels which shone. There was a large white table, a few chairs, bottles and jars. Some kind of ritual oil?

"Is this marble?" he asked. "I've never seen so much..."

"It's not," Thor replied. "But it's very similar. Here, sit down. Jane has to do some tests. Don't worry, she's a doctor."

The chair he found himself pushed into was comfortable but cold.

"So I am sick?"

"Not at all. This is to help you not get sick in the future."

The woman - Jane, Doctor Jane, and wasn't that odd to have a woman doctor? - looked decidedly unhappy about everything that was going on. Her arms were folded, her lower lip being gnawed.

And then she pointed a weapon at him.

At least, so it seemed. It looked like some kind of enormous pistol, a barrel facing him, and he scrambled to get away even as Thor tried to soothe him.

"It's alright," he said. "Nothing here will give you anything worse than a scratch, I promise."

The device beeped. Perhaps it was musical instrument of some kind.

But then she placed it against his body in various places. Chest, side, arm, thigh. No flute did that as far as he knew.

Drawing a piece of glass down from the ceiling - and why anyone would have a window up there, Loki wasn't sure - she attached it to some kind of wire. Writing began to appear on the glass. Magic to his eyes.

And then she frowned and checked and frowned again.

"Human," she said. "All organs in place. Appendix still present. Some evidence of malnutrition. 26 years old. Estimated origins... No. That can't be right."

"I'm 22," Loki said. "She's right, it's wrong."

Thor was wearing a strange impression, an innocent smile that let Loki know he was anything but.

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose with bright-coloured nails.

"Please don't tell me this man is really from 1862," she said. "Because that's what the machine thinks. Thor, do you have any idea how dangerous it is for him to be here? For all of us, not least him?"

"Why do you think we came here first? Vaccines."

"He could have smallpox or... I don't know, plague. There's a reason you don't go back that far."

"Save me the lecture, Jane. I knew exactly what I was doing."

"You blatantly did not!"

She looked at Loki and sighed.

"Poor thing," she said. "This must be so overwhelming."

"Kindly ask her not to patronise me," Loki said, folding his arms. "I'm ignorant and foreign perhaps, but I am not an invalid. And I'm not 26 either."

"He says he's 22, not 26," Thor said, notably not translating the rest of what he said.

"Well, someone at some time told him the wrong date of birth," she said. "I'm no expert, but I gather it was fairly common to lose a year here or there."

Loki scowled at the spotless floor. He supposed it was possible. Had he been a grown man believing himself a child? He could have moved into the adult's dormitories all the earlier if he'd known and not had to put up with children for years...

Thor chuckled, moving to the glass, pressing his fingers against it and making different words appear, none of which Loki understood.

"What's your surname, Loki?" he asked.

"Laufeyson."

"And was that your father's given name?"

"No idea. I'm an orphan."

He tapped at the glass, smiling and nudging Jane in the side.

"Look. Loki Laufeyson. It's his death certificate. He vanished and they must have thought him dead. No family. I've barely caused a ripple in time by bringing him here. It's fine."

Loki could only blink to hear that. A report of his death. With no body found? Was his life worth so little?

And how did that glass know who he was? How was his name, his past, his life written upon it?

"Please help us," Thor said, his voice going low and serious. "He's important to me. He saved my life. I owe him a great deal."

She seemed very unsure, but Loki knew that Thor could be very persuasive. If it wasn't the low, rumbling tones, maybe the expression would do it, so sincere and hopeful.

Jane sighed again, heavily, rolling her eyes a little.

"Well, we're going to have to burn those clothes for a start," she said. "And speaking of debts, you are going to owe me a great deal for this."

Losing his clothes was only the beginning. They put Loki into a sort of water cascade, warm at least, and gave him soap, which was nice enough, but then as he sat feeling very exposed in a cloth robe, Jane stabbed him with pins several times and did _something_ to the back of his head. Something to do with the translation necklaces, one of which he was given.

"Say something," she said, clipping it into place.

"Such as?"

"Aha. It's working. Excellent. Thor should have picked you out some clothes."

Could they even be considered clothes? There were trousers of a sort, but the gusset left a lot to be desired. And the shirt... Well, it was more an undershirt to Loki's eyes. Thin and with short sleeves and no buttons to be found.

He did like the way Thor looked at him when he entered the room wearing it, though.

"Alright?"

"More or less. Everything is... strange."

"You'll get used to it."

Loki wasn't so sure of that. He tried to smooth down the folds in the shirt with little success.

"I used to dream of being taken to heaven," he said. "Do you think that's where you've brought me?"

Thor approached, laying his hands on Loki's shoulders carefully.

"I could maybe try take you back, if you change your mind. But if you want a different life, then I can at least try to show you that. And I can show you the stars, if not heaven itself."

For a moment, Loki wondered what would become of him if and when Thor grew bored of him.

Then again, perhaps it couldn't be worse than what he'd left.

"I want to stay," he said.

Thor's grin still made his heart beat faster.


	2. Chapter 2

The translation machine lay heavily on Loki's neck as Thor helped him into the ship once more. He'd already been tired and now he was a little achy too.

"Am I going to fall asleep again?" he asked.

"No, that was just because the journey was long and we'd already got through most of my food. But we're going to one of my dens now and it's fairly close by."

Loki looked at one of the faint marks on his arm where Doctor Jane had stuck him with one of her needles, claiming it would keep him safe from illness. It still stung a little.

"You're a criminal," he said thoughtfully. "Is she one too?"

"No, Jane's just... flexible, that's all. She'll help anyone, for the right price. And besides, we have a history."

There was something about the way he said that...

"You have... an attachment to her?"

Thor laughed, settling into his chair and pressing buttons, awakening his machines.

"We had a brief fling," he said. "Nothing of particular consequence."

Perhaps Loki was a little perturbed.

"And how many... flings have you had?"

"Oh, don't be jealous, pumpkin. People don't just spring into existence moments before meeting. You must have a past of your own."

"Not as adventurous as yours, I fear. My past romantic dalliances were limited to boyhood fumbles and my own imagination."

There were strange whirring noises all around them, the kind of thing that almost made Loki think of the old factory he had worked in as a child. Clanking and rattling.

"What is that sound? What is it doing?"

"We're moving."

It didn't feel like they were, but that wouldn't be the strangest thing that had happened this day. Maybe if this ship had windows...

"Since we can talk to one another at last," Thor said, like he was trying to build bridges. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? How'd you end up in the middle of nowhere dreaming of angels?"

They really knew absolutely nothing about one another, did they? And now they were in a large tin can together going... somewhere.

Oh, he should have thought this through more. Or at all.

"I have no memory of my parents. I think my mother must have died. Grew up in the orphanage, worked in our patron's factory."

"Child labour?"

He seemed surprised.

"Yes?" Loki said. "Is that no longer a practice?"

"Not for humans."

Hmm.

"Well, I grew up, in time. Moved out of the orphanage. And then I had to move very suddenly and I managed to secure some work in the country, a place to sleep of my very own. And then you dropped out of the sky."

It sounded very boring when you said it out loud like that.

"And you?" he said. "Where are you from?"

"Oh, everywhere and anywhere, that's me. Home's wherever I bed down."

"No family either?"

"No. But they'd only hold me back if I had one."

Loki had always wanted a family. Someone to love him, to take care of him. Someone to love back. And maybe he'd dreamed a little that Thor could give him that. Now he was decidedly less sure. Now that they could communicate.

Or maybe he was just overwhelmed by everything that was going on.

"So what do you do?" he asked. "Really? To live on? Why did you end up crashing?"

"Oh, that was just a mistake. I misjudged my jump, that's all. Landed a couple of centuries out. But if that hadn't happened, then I wouldn't have met you, so it's not a bad thing."

He seemed very sure of that.

Then again, he'd said his future self had foretold their meeting. It had to be important.

"You didn't answer my question. What do you do? What crimes?"

"Well... I'm a scavenger, really. I find things. I don't steal. It's illegal, but it's not immoral, if you understand."

That wasn't exactly convincing. No doubt he'd find out all about it, in time.

"So, am I to be your apprentice?" Loki asked.

"You can be. If you want."

"Well, I must do something or I'll be terribly bored."

Thor hummed, amused, the whole vessel shaking around them for a moment before stilling.

"Let's see if you still think so in a few minutes," he said, practically leaping out of his chair. "Come on."

There was a hissing sound as the door opened and Loki stepped out into another world.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a land of rock, but not the sandstone or granite or slate that might have been familiar, but a strange reddish-brown type. Plants sprouted here and there, little purple flowers and some kind of large grass.

But all that would register later. To begin with, Loki could only stare at the sky and the huge green shape that hung there.

His mouth had fallen open in a way that would get him caned by the old matron for bad manners, but he couldn't help it.

So _beautiful..._ Like a huge emerald, or so he imagined from what he'd heard about such objects.

"Is that some kind of moon?" he asked.

"Nearly," Thor said, openly charmed by his fascination. "It's a planet. We're on its moon. One of them. Come on."

He was heading for what looked like a cave, reaching back to take Loki's hand.

"This is where you live?" Loki asked.

"I move around quite a lot, but right now, this is my favourite hide-out. I hope you like it."

It wasn't a cave. At least, not entirely. The cave was just concealing the entrance, a door opening out of nowhere at Thor's touch to reveal something that wasn't entirely unlike a house. There were even carpets, of a sort. Rugs. Lots of them.

The floor itself did appear to be bedrock, now Loki looked at it properly...

"Hide-outs," he said uncertainly. "And dens. So you have no permanent home."

Thor was activating some sort of artificial candle, spreading out pools of light, gesturing for Loki to sit on a tall stool.

Everything was mismatched and strange, a high table, a ramshackle collection of cupboards, wood and metal and glass and other materials. Not at all what he expected based on the shining tin can interior.

"I have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice," Thor said.

"Why?"

A pause that made Loki feel distinctly like he was being lied to.

"I upset some people a long time ago. They're looking for me, even now. If they find this place, we'll have to leave it. And, uh... Most people we meet won't use my real name. You shouldn't say it in front of them."

This was confusing.

"Thor is your name, isn't it?"

"Sure. And I trust you, so you can use it, in private."

"Jane knew it."

"Mm. But she doesn't know how to find me. That's the main thing. That ancient chunk of junk I call a ship can't be tracked by modern systems. I fly under all radars."

The translation necklace must have been broken, for that made no sense.

"What is a radar?" Loki asked.

"Oh," Thor said, pressing yet more buttons on glass that seemed to spring into existence before him - and was everything button-based in this time? - "I guess that's after your time. Imagine... Imagine a lighthouse. You know what a lighthouse is?"

"Of course. It's a safety measure for ships. Prevents them crashing on rocks."

"Right, right. Imagine you're on a lighthouse. Every time the light swings by, you can see all the ships in your vicinity - how big they are, how far away and so on. That's sort of what radar is. It detects ships. But my ship can't be seen. It's small. It blends in. The light swings by and it's invisible."

He seemed very proud. Perhaps it was quite an achievement.

"I must seem very ignorant to you," Loki said as a steaming dish of food was set down in front of him.

"Like you say, you're a stranger here. But you're sharp. You're a smooth talker. That will get us far."

'Us', Loki noticed. Thor had already accepted him as a long-term fixture.

It wasn't like he had much of a choice. He couldn't exactly imagine changing his mind and go home to that life of tedium, not after seeing all this. The universe held more than he could ever have imagined.

The food was unlike anything he'd ever had. Delicious, but not in a way he could pinpoint. He had no idea what it was. Meat or something like it, soft porridge-like grains, vegetables that might be some sort of pea. He wasn't sure.

And the cutlery was very odd too... More like a stick than a fork, forcing him to sort of shovel food from dish to mouth. It was efficient, he'd admit that.

Thor pressed another button, a small figure appearing bathed in light on the table in front of them. Loki stared openly. Not only was this a miracle as far as he was concerned, but the person who appeared there was like no-one he had ever seen.

"Hey, Thunder," they said - whether they were male or female, Loki couldn't say - "Come see me. I've got a job for you."

Thor put his hand through the image, sending it scattering in pinpoints of light before forming a new face.

"In case you think I never do anything for you," and this was a man, Loki was almost certain, though painted like a fine lady. "I'm warning you now that you've been asked about. There's someone sniffing around. I've sent coordinates that you might want to avoid. Just remember you owe me one."

Thor sighed, swiping again. A small face showed this time, seemingly much closer than the last two, strange eyes which almost seemed to have multiple pupils in an otherwise charming visage.

"Hello? Is this working? Remember a few months back, the unpleasantness? I saw that woman again. She didn't see me. I just thought you should know."

This time, Thor closed the image creator completely, sighing again.

"Sounds like you're in trouble," Loki offered.

"It'll die down soon, don't worry. The people looking for me do so mainly for political reasons. It's a distraction for the people, little more. They'll grow bored soon. It comes in cycles"

This was all very mysterious, but Loki held his tongue. Those weeks they'd lived together had been almost devoid of actual communication and Loki was wary of trying to find out too much too fast.

Settle in first. Find out the details later.

Thor sat down beside him, smiling a little shyly.

"I'm not used to having guests, let alone living with someone else," he said. "Especially not anyone as special as you. You must tell me if anything isn't to your liking or if anything is confusing."

"I'm sure I'll grow accustomed soon enough."

Considering what they'd done together, what he knew of Thor's body, things shouldn't be awkward. Then again, knowing a physical being and having a fantasy was very different to knowing a person.

Still, there was something about Thor's devil-may-care attitude that intrigued and attracted him. He was so different to the broken-down souls he'd lived so much if his life around. Free, and carefree at that.

It spoke to a sense of adventure in Loki's own soul. A handsome man to explore a strange new world with.

He could do a lot worse.

"So, where are we going?" he asked. "What's this job you've been offered?"

"We'll go tomorrow," Thor said. "You've just had a lot of inoculations. We should wait. But I'll get back to him, let him know we're coming."

Loki watched with undisguised wonder as Thor shone a light into his own face, lots of tiny points of light, like he was being mapped.

"Hi," he said. "It's me. Got your message and I'll drop by soon. Hope you're remembering my rules."

He glanced to Loki, a half smile on his lips.

"Oh, and I'm bringing a new associate," he said. "Don't worry. I trust him. See you soon."


	4. Chapter 4

A little recuperation was just what Loki needed, though Thor's sleeping arrangements were strange in the extreme.

There wasn't a bed, really. There were pillows and blankets, a nest of sorts, a small room carved out in a crevasse that had all been made warm and soft. Lanterns sat on the floor, but they didn't have candles. More of the strange balls of light that seemed to be everywhere.

It was comfortable, though. And spacious compared to what he was used to. No more cramming together into a bed made for one.

It seemed to be the only room other than the main eating and living space. Which wasn't odd, not really, and yet Loki had somehow imagined life would be grander in the future.

"You have no windows," he said a little uncertainly, once he was quite sure he wasn't just missing them.

"No, I try to keep the place looking as natural as possible from the outside."

"Because you're hiding."

Thor gave him a sheepish smile.

"You catch on fast."

Maybe not fast enough. Loki understood approximately what was going on. Thor reused thrown away things that weren't really his to take and it seemed he would transport items for other people. He'd mentioned some rules, some kind of code perhaps. And he could travel in time.

"Will we go further into the future? Or back into the past?"

"Not if we can avoid it. I only tend to go back a few years when I really have to. You can get sick really easily if you're not careful. Is that alright?"

"All I wanted was to escape my boring life. I think I've done that."

"Then I apologise in advance for any tedium you may experience."

With so many new and interesting things, Loki wasn't sure how anything could be boring.

"It beats digging turnips, probably," he said.

Thor shrugged.

"That's about it for this place, except the bathroom," he said.

"Bathroom? You mean the privy?"

That made Thor laugh for some reason.

"Well, that and the hot spring."

Hot spring. Loki had heard of those. They had them in Bath, apparently, where warm water bubbled up from within the Earth's very core. People thought they were sacred, healing.

"A lot of folk would never live on a moon," Thor said, moving one of his hanging cloths to the side to reveal a passageway Loki hadn't spotted. "But if you choose well, you can make a really nice place."

The smell hit him first. Not unpleasant, necessarily. It reminded him of strange rainstorms when the old farmer would sniff the air and announce it had blown in from the ocean. Faintly salty.

And then the sound of bubbling, a light brightening over a pool of water with steam rising from it.

"All natural, babe," Thor said as he stared at it. "Warm and self-cleaning. Toilet's over in the far corner."

Where a stream flowed away. You didn't even have to go outside. Well... More outside. Were caves outside?

Loki crouched, testing the heat, finding it pleasantly warm. No wonder the ancients thought such things were magical or divine.

"Did you know this was here before you built your... house?" he asked.

"It's the reason I did," Thor said. "I keep an eye out for suitable locations, in case I need to move."

The light danced in ripples away from Loki's hands.

"Are you always on the look out for... other things too?" he asked, almost dreading the answer.

"Well... Cushions. I love a good cushion."

That hadn't quite been what he meant.

"People," he said instead. "Companions."

He heard Thor approach, crouching next to him.

"No," he said. "Not especially. I took companionship, if you want to call it that, as and when I found it. I didn't go looking. But, well... I like the idea of finding a partner and my future self thinks you're the one."

Loki wasn't sure how he felt about that. To be told something about the future, something he couldn't test.

"What exactly did he say to you?" he asked. "Future you, when you saw him. How do you know it was definitely me he was talking about?"

Thor sighed, sitting beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. It felt nice, even as Loki tried not to relax into it.

"He said I had found someone. A man. So that's a tick in your favour. That he was unbearably handsome - tick again."

Loki blushed, hoping it wasn't too obvious in the dim light.

"And when I pressed for more, he said there were no other men like this one. And when you asked me to bring you here, you told me, didn't you? You said almost the exact same thing."

Yes, he had, hadn't he? More or less.

"It's a strange thought," he offered.

"Yeah," Thor said, kissing his scalp. "It is. But I have faith."

The touch of his hand, gentle and warming, the feeling of his breath and skin... Was it any wonder Loki had mistaken him for an angel in his naivete?

"I shall try to have faith too," he said.


	5. Chapter 5

Had Loki ever slept so well? The soft pillows and blankets had welcomed him, the familiar warmth of Thor's body soothing along with the ability to completely spread-eagle himself until he was perfectly comfortable.

And the quiet... When he'd first moved out to the countryside, it had seemed incredibly peaceful compared to the city, but after a while he became sensitive to the sounds of animals and weather.

Perhaps he was soon going to hear all the sounds of this world too.

Thor was sitting up next to him, holding yet another of those strange glass devices, using his fingers to enlarge what looked like a map.

"Good sleep?" he asked.

"Mm. Though I don't understand how I could possibly have been tired if I slept for a week aboard your vessel."

"Oh, that wasn't sleeping. It was suspension. I froze you."

That made no sense at all.

"Froze me. In ice?"

"No, more like in time. I wasn't sure I had enough food for two and time jumps can feel very unpleasant if you've not done that before. That tiredness you felt was from your last day of work when we left Earth. As far as your body is concerned, that week never happened."

It hadn't hurt, but it still felt invasive somehow.

"I wish you had told me before doing it."

The confused frown seemed genuine.

"I did."

Loki sighed, unable to resist snuggling into the pillows.

"I meant in words I can understand. Even translated, there are terms I don't know. Terms from after my time."

Thor set aside his glass map and lay down beside him, stroking his hair.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'd rather not patronise you though."

Hmm... And Loki knew it would be typical of him to object to such treatment even as he yearned to have everything about this strange world explained to him in the simplest possible way.

"I shall try to learn to ask," he conceded.

Thor smiled at him, fingers running close to his scalp, leaning in for a kiss. There was maybe a heartbeat before Loki closed the gap between them, but at least in this, nothing had changed. He still felt that warmth, that closeness. Intimacy that he had only ever dreamed of before this strange man fell into his life.

"Are we alright?" Thor whispered.

"We will be. Where are we going today?"

The map meant very little to Loki, even when Thor orientated him. They'd be travelling around the green planet and far out the other side to visit Thor's associate.

"Do you know what kind of job it is?" Loki asked.

"Transportation. I'm something of a postman for some friends. As long as they pay well and stick to my rules."

"And what rules are they?"

"I don't traffic people, but I'll take the occasional paying passenger. I don't ship narcotics. Alcohol is fine. Weaponry... Well, it depends what type and who to. But it won't be anything like that. It will be fuel, most likely. Being sold without tax."

Yes, that did sound illegal, but he had at least some semblance of a moral compass.

And hopefully an actual compass too, Loki thought, as he strapped himself in to the ship again. A light breakfast of some kind of gruel, not quite porridge but not entirely unlike it either, hadn't really agreed with him.

Or maybe he was just nervous about flying through the stars.

"You can switch the view if you want to see, by the way," Thor said, touching the wall and somehow turning it into a window.

"Is this whole thing made of glass?"

"It's filmed from the outside."

"Filmed?"

"Uh... Sort of like a moving photograph? Although this is more like a periscope. A mirror of what's outside."

"Ah. That's something I can understand."

And looking outside was... incredible. They flew right by the nearest planet, so close that he could make out continents and clouds among the emerald sea, maybe even settlements and forests.

And beyond that, it was like gazing up at the clearest sky, stars and stars and stars...

Loki had spent his life looking to the heavens but even then, he'd never expected anything so beautiful. There were distant worlds out there, stars of different twinkling shades, huge nebulas in a myriad of hues.

"Wow," he said. It didn't feel like enough.

Thor chuckled.

"Yeah. Not a bad view, is it?"

That was a bit of an understatement.

"We're going to have to speed up now."

Loki braced himself, but he couldn't feel anything change as such after the first jolt forwards. Outside, stars became more like lines, blurring together.

Slowing down again was much, much worse. Loki had a horrible sense that he was falling despite there being nowhere to fall to, the emptiness around them unbearable, a strange nausea rolling through him.

Closing his eyes helped. Helped a lot. Helped him forget he was in a tin can.

"Hey, it's me," Thor said in front of him, strangely gruff. "Raise your shields, would you?"

Loki risked a glance and wished he hadn't. Suddenly an enormous, mangled pile of rock and metal had sprung into existence beneath them and Thor was not-so cautiously steering them down towards it.

Oh, that motion was not good...

His stomach thought they had performed a complete flip and he wasn't about to open his eyes to confirm it, not until they crunched onto what he hoped was solid land.

"You OK?"

"I need a bit of fresh air, I think."

He heard the hiss of the door opening, a distinctly industrial smell rushing into his nostrils. It was grounding, though, and almost familiar. Not quite the same as the smell of the city. Less smoky. Definitely mechanical.

"Remember not to use my name," Thor said, helping him up.

Fortunately, Loki found himself completely distracted from his sickly feelings by the being who approached them. He had never seen anything like them before.

Huge, for one thing, taller than Thor and taller than any man he'd ever seen, with strange skin that almost looked like stone.

But that was impossible. Stone didn't walk or wave, and it didn't look you up and down as though giving an appraisal.

"Your new friend?" it asked in a low, rumbling voice.

"He's trustworthy."

A sound like a cough almost and the figure turned away, beckoning them to follow over its shoulder.

"It's ready," it said. "With instructions."

"What's in it?" Thor asked casually.

"Components."

Well, that was precise.

The whole planet had the feeling of a knacker's yard, but for metal. There was so much of it, in ropes and sheets, twisted structures, mostly broken by the looks of them. And in amongst it all were creatures of some kind, collecting various pieces into sacks and baskets.

Loki did his best not to stare. It would be rude.

They were led to a covered area, like a workshop, the sound of tools striking metal all around.

The box they were collecting seemed very small.

"What kind of components?" Thor asked. "Why buy them here and not fresh made?"

"They want vintage ones. Don't ask me why."

"And who's our recipient?"

A huge finger tapped against the box. There was writing on it. And maybe the translation machine had finally kicked in for letters because Loki found he could read it.

_Hirsu_  
_Deliver to the Central Bar on Bijmu on the third of Earth-month June._  
_Wear red. I shall wear green._

"Hirsu," Thor said thoughtfully. "I don't know the name. What are they like?"

A rocky shrug, like tectonic plates moving.

"Not met them. Payment by transfer. Very handsome transfer too. Express delivery. Do you know the place?"

Thor seemed faintly unsure, his arm blocking his chest, squeezing his own shoulder as though easing a tense muscle.

"Yeah, I know it. Can be rough. I'd need a better percentage to go there at such short notice."

"Eight?"

"Ten."

"Nine and I'll throw in a full tank of fuel for you."

Thor shook on it. Loki was doing his best to appear like this was totally normal, like he wasn't wide-eyed over everything.

The box didn't seem heavy. It seemed like a lot of work to go to. Whatever was in it must be very important.

"So are we going there?" Loki asked as they headed back to the ship. "This... Bijmu place?"

"We'll take a little detour to get changed first," Thor said loudly, before adding in a much softer voice. "And to find out just what this Hirsu is willing to pay so much for."


	6. Chapter 6

At least landing on Thor's moon didn't give him motion sickness, though Loki took the precaution of turning off the mirror to outside well in advance just in case.

Thor carried the box inside and set it on the table. It was sealed shut with some kind of sticky fabric tape and Loki wasn't convinced they'd be able to open it without it being obvious.

"Surely they'll notice if you cut into it," he said.

"And there might be some anti-tamper tech in there as well. Nothing too harmful, but I'd prefer not to risk it. We'll scan it."

He rattled around in a drawer and produced something that looked like an instrument of torture. It had a sort of mouth and a handle with various appendages sticking out around it.

"Have a go," Thor said. "Just point it at the package and press this button."

Loki held it at arm's length and jumped when it sprang into motion at his touch. Still it seemed harmless, whirring away and beeping and finally chirping cheerfully and shining up lights towards him. They formed into almost legible words.

"Steel and chrome," he read uncertainly. "Electronics."

"Huh," Thor said. "They're telling the truth, then."

That suggested he hadn't been sure either way.

"Why is that odd?" Loki asked. "It was a scrap yard. Why not buy from them?"

"Scrap metal, certainly, but for components to go into a machine, you want ones that definitely aren't defective and frankly they don't do nearly enough checks. It suggests that someone either doesn't know what they're doing or they're trying to do something without attracting attention."

He seemed more exasperated than actually worried, which Loki took as a good sign.

"So this... bar."

"Yeah," Thor said. "That's another thing. It's a bad place to do an exchange. Wouldn't be my first choice. This is likely an amateur. But that suggests they're harmless, at least."

Loki wished he sounded more certain.

"So how far away is June the third?"

"No time at all, really. We should think about heading off. But apparently I need something red first."

Loki had only owned a few outfits in his life. You wore what you had, untill you grew out of it completely or it literally fell apart. Multiple outfits beyond day wear, a nightshirt and Sunday best were beyond the likes of him.

And it seemed that was the case for Thor as well, for he simply went to the bedroom and picked out a red piece of cloth from the hangings, taking it down and pinning it to his shirt like a cape.

"Do I need one of those?" Loki asked.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like you to be a lookout. There will be shady people there, but no one with any particular axes to grind, I shouldn't think. Still, we should be cautious."

So much had happened so fast. Was he really accepting this role in a dangerous situation for a man he really didn't know?

Well, it still beat picking turnips.

"Of course," he said. "It will be fun."

Thor grinned at him, that shared love of excitement coming out again.

"We'd better pack, then."

Not much, though. A few parcels of preserved food. Thor was more concerned with ensuring they had plenty of fresh water. Kept saying that you never knew where you might end up unexpectedly.

"Should we bathe before we go?" Loki asked, feeling slightly greasy from the scrap yard.

"Erm... Yeah, we should have time. Good idea."

Despite all they'd done together, Loki found himself feeling a little shy and vulnerable until he was safely in the water, warm and soothing. Thor's strange soap helped, something about the smell comforting him, so different from the faintly medical scent of the cheap carbolic he was used to.

"I'm glad you're here with me," Thor said quietly, scrubbing his arms. "I didn't realise how lonely I was until I was with you in that barn."

"Even though we couldn't talk?"

A light chuckle.

"Well, it stopped me ruining everything by saying the wrong thing, at least."

"Do you do that a lot?"

"Only with people I really like."

What a charmer. Still, Loki had never had such open attention turned upon him before and it was difficult to resist preening a little.

"You haven't said the wrong thing yet. I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of... this. Almost everything is so different and strange."

Thor nodded, plumes of soap flowing away from him.

"Well," he said. "Hopefully bars are much the same, regardless where in time you are."


	7. Chapter 7

It seemed to be a law of the universe that cheap bars could only be in ramshackle buildings held up more by layers and layers of paint than any actual structural integrity.

Still, it seemed safe enough, surrounded by strange houses of various sizes, some of which would have made Loki's old matron very proud and some where she wouldn't even cross the threshold probably.

The journey hadn't taken as long as Loki expected, though he slept some of the way. There was a sort of cot that folded out of the floor, not very long but at least horizontal. He'd slept on worse.

Bijmu was on a more familiar type of world. It might even pass for Earth, if he didn't know it wasn't. And some of the bird-like animals he saw were definitely not like anything he'd ever heard about, shimmering despite the lack of light and with bold green eyes.

Thor passed him some kind of metal rectangle, claiming it was money, telling him to head to the bar and buy whatever he wanted, have a quick look round. He'd follow at a discreet distance.

It was only when Loki was inside, trying not to stare at the many creatures of all shapes and sizes around him, that he realised he had no idea what kinds of drink would be available.

And he was subtly trying to spot someone wearing green...

He sidled over to the bar, trying his best to catch sight of something that looked familiar in one of his fellow patron's hand. Some of it was glowing. That seemed... odd.

The barman pointed to him, raising his eyebrows in what seemed to be an invitation to order.

"Uh..." Loki said. "Do you have beer?"

"What kind?"

"Whatever you'd recommend."

A glass was duly produced, filled with a dark liquid with a purplish foam. Loki proffered his piece of metal, surprised when the man inserted it directly into a slot in the underside of his wrist. There was a faint pause and then he handed it back.

"Thank you," Loki said, like that hadn't somehow been the oddest thing he'd seen all day.

He tried to seem casual. At home. Not out of place. The drink was yeastier than he'd anticipated, but smooth too. Easy to sip as he looked around.

Everyone seemed fairly occupied with their beverage or conversation. There were a few people in green, but nothing too conspicuous.

And then he saw her. A figure in a dark green cloak, looking around furtively, curiously at everyone around her. A young woman, if that. More like a child. The more Loki looked at her, the bright flash of her brown eyes and the confident set of her jaw, the more convinced he was that this was their mysterious customer.

All the same, she seemed very young to be alone in a place like this.

Thor evidently thought so too when he entered, his eyes finding her immediately, eyebrows shooting up. Loki tried not to stare, but he seemed cautious suddenly. Approaching with care.

Loki tried to maintain his role as lookout while Thor entered into conversation with the girl. He was clearly tense where she was relaxed, like he was somehow worried about her.

Like he recognised her. Loki wasn't sure if it was mutual, though. Maybe. But Thor hadn't known the name...

Loki wished he could hear what they were saying.

Eventually, Thor handed over the box and Loki downed the rest of his drink. Something wasn't right here. The sooner they left, the better.

Or maybe that was just instinct coming into play earlier than his conscious mind could catch up because he was suddenly aware that someone else had got up from the bar and was moving in a determined manner towards the girl's table.

"My lucky day," he heard in a mutter as they passed, a face he didn't see properly, an outfit in all black.

Nothing about it made him hopeful, that was certain.

Loki leapt to his feet, unsure what exactly he was about to do.

"Hey!" he yelled.

Thor wheeled around but so did his follower, revealing a surprised face. A woman, utterly baffled at meeting interference, silver marks beneath her eyes and a steely look.

Loki lobbed his glass at her in a moment of panic and was rather impressed when she caught it out the air like it was nothing, honestly looking more perplexed than anything else.

But it had given Thor a second and now he...

Ah.

Now he had the girl held with a gun to her head.


	8. Chapter 8

"You know who this is, right?" Thor asked, nostrils flared, clearly panicking. "Princess Shuri? We wouldn't want anything _unfortunate_ to happen here, now, would we?"

A princess? It would explain the confidence perhaps. Even now, she didn't look even remotely concerned, just holding her package calmly, her hood slipping back to reveal tightly braided black hair. Perhaps she was threatened often.

Loki was fairly sure Thor was bluffing. He hoped so, anyway. This seemed a far cry from his talk of rules and acts that were illegal but not immoral.

He certainly wasn't doing himself any favours here.

"We are going to return very calmly to my ship and leave in peace," Thor said, beginning to frogmarch the princess towards the door. "And this way, no one gets hurt."

The other woman's hand hovered over her belt, like she was considering drawing a weapon, unsure of this. Surely she couldn't risk it?

"You can't run forever," she said.

"I can try!"

Forced cheer. Winking at danger. It seemed to be a theme where Thor was concerned.

Loki felt he had no option but to follow, sticking close, hoping he wouldn't be taken hostage in return.

Thor was still talking, in a quieter, more serious voice now.

"I'm sorry, Princess. This was not supposed to happen. I will not hurt you, you have my word."

"You're not even holding a gun," she whispered back, apparently amused. "What is that? Some kind of hairdryer?"

Thor paused for a moment, walking almost mechanically forwards.

"If you know that, why are you coming with us?"

"Well, it's quite exciting, isn't it?"

This whole world was upside down, it seemed. Still, no one seemed to be giving chase yet. That was good, possibly.

"Hirsu... You weren't even subtle with your false name. I should have worked that one out."

"You weren't expecting me. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"What were you doing in a place like that anyway?" Thor asked, his voice going stern. "You shouldn't be alone. There are bad people out there. And besides, you're far too young."

"You sound just like my brother. He monitors my every move in the lab. How am I supposed to make him a birthday present without resorting to a little subterfuge?"

Thor groaned, thumping his hand against the side of the ship as he opened it, ushering her in.

"It's fine," he said to Loki as they climbed aboard the now very cramped space. "We'll drop her at the nearest safe planet and run them off in some asteroids."

"You will not," Shuri said, pulling out a third chair from the floor and clipping herself in. "I need somewhere to build anyway. I can lay low at yours for a bit."

Thor laughed as he slammed the power on and started their ascent.

"Why would I let you stay? I'd rather not draw down your brother's wrath, thank you very much."

"Well, for one thing, I can help you. This retro style is nice enough, but I doubt your cloaking systems are as good as you think. I could probably track you, if I put my mind to it. And I expect there are certain people who would gladly ask me to."

She spoke so casually, like that wasn't a threat at all.

"I can fix it up for you," she said. "I can make it better."

Playing both sides, the threat and the offer. She was clever, Loki could tell that immediately.

Thor sighed.

"What do you think, Loki?" he asked.

It was surprising to be asked. Surely this was Thor's decision. His life, his safety.

Then again, it was his life now too.

Shuri looked at him curiously. Maybe she could tell he wasn't local, as it were.

"He doesn't know," she said.

Loki startled, staring at her.

"Doesn't know what?"

The pause told him that something was a little amiss here.

"Doesn't know what you should do," she said, looking away.

Somehow Loki didn't trust that. She knew something. And he wanted to know what that was.

"If she promises not to report us when she leaves, I think we should let her stay."

Shuri smiled sweetly at him.

"Of course I promise. I'll explain that it was all just a misunderstanding."

Quite how kidnapping a member of royalty could be a misunderstanding, Loki wasn't sure.

She was looking at him again, like he was very confusing. He wasn't sure why or what she was seeing in him that was so fascinating.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Uh... Earth."

"Oh, me too. Where exactly?"

"England."

"New England?"

"No, just... You know, England. In Britain. Of Empire fame."

She found that very, very funny for some reason.

"And you?" he asked. "What country are you from?"

This only got him a look of real confusion. Of course, she was royalty. Everyone knew who she was. It would be like asking where Victoria was from, probably.

"Where did he find you?" she asked. "You weren't just wandering around by yourself, surely."

"Actually, I found him."

Technically it was true. He found Thor after he crash landed in a forest. It still counted.

"Succeeding where so many others have failed."

Thor huffed loudly from his chair, pressing buttons a little more firmly than seemed necessary.

The moment they were alone, Loki intended to get to the bottom of this. What exactly didn't he know? How did a princess know who Thor was if he was only a petty criminal? And who exactly was after them? Who was that woman?

A lot of questions.

Most of which he should probably have asked earlier.

The trip back seemed interminable and Loki wasn't sure if it was his imagination or Thor taking a winding route in the hope of confusing any pursuers.

Or, worse, to avoid an awkward conversation.


	9. Chapter 9

The atmosphere as they arrived back - home, Loki supposed - was tense. Except for Shuri, who seemed delighted by Thor's homestead.

"It's so cute!" she said, her expression matching the glee in her voice. "And so secluded. No wonder no one suspects you're here."

"Thanks," Thor said, a little gruffly.

"Right, I'll scramble your trail a bit. If that's alright."

Thor seemed slightly mistrustful, but as she got started he seemed to believe her well enough. To Loki, it looked like she was pressing buttons at random. Like how children would pretend to play the piano. Maybe that was just how the ship worked.

"The entrance is just over there when you're ready," Thor said, pointing. "Hope you don't mind sleeping on a couch."

Loki followed him in, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"Do you trust me?" Thor asked quietly before he could, taking off his makeshift cloak.

Loki hesitated.

"I rather have to," he said. "I have no other choice. But it's difficult if you don't tell me things."

A sigh and Thor began dismantling his sofa - a very soft chocolate brown one with silver threads running through the fabric; Loki admired it very much - removing the arms and converting it into a flat sleeping space.

"I'm not trying to hide anything from you, but there are aspects of my past that I don't talk about. Things that you don't need to know, that it might even be dangerous for you to know. Plus, you know, you've only been here two days. I didn't want to... overwhelm you too much."

It felt a lot longer than two days somehow.

"I suppose we don't actually know each other that well," Loki offered.

"I might not know many facts about your past, but I know what you're like," Thor countered. "That you're bold. Curious. Intelligent. And maybe I suspect you were... lonely. Unhappy. Wanting something different."

Hmm. Correct on all points.

"I know that you are foolhardy," Loki said, making Thor laugh. "But kind too. Generous. And you've told me outright you were lonely. But now there's something else. I've learned that you are secretive too."

"Weren't you secretive? About how you feel about men?"

The blush sprang to his face unbidden, ashamed to have been ashamed almost.

"That's different," he said. "That was survival."

"Well, so is this. If you literally don't know, you can't be accused of aiding me."

Hmm... That somehow made him even more determined to find out the truth.

Thor sighed, reaching for him, cupping his cheek, his thumb stroking him comfortingly.

"Give me a month or so," he said softly. "And if you still want to know, I'll tell you. I promise."

It was better than never finding out, Loki supposed, leaning into Thor's embrace. It was warm and soothing. The only way they'd communicated for so long, through actions and touch.

And kisses. Talking was important, of course, but he could feel Thor's apology in the firm press of his lips.

"I've fixed up your evading tech," Shuri said from the doorway. "It was fairly well built, but there were improvements to be made. I also updated your nav scopes and your shielding."

"Thanks," Thor said. "I'll get you a blanket or something."

She very carefully waited until Thor was out of earshot before speaking quietly.

"You're from a long time ago, aren't you?"

Loki startled slightly.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, you're clearly not from round here and he has an unlicensed, mostly burnt out old time hopper in his ship. It's not exactly difficult to put two and two together and come up with you being brought here from the past"

"Unlicensed?"

"Mm. You have to get special permission to use one of those. Mainly for historical research, observational anthropology. And it's so beaten up, I'm honestly amazed he managed to get back to the right time."

Loki wasn't sure how much to trust her, but it seemed like she could read anything she wanted from the technology around them. She was already making herself at home, pulling drawers out of places Loki hadn't even realised there were any, tugging on hidden handles.

"Tea?" she asked.

"What?"

"Do you know where he keeps the tea? Coffee would do, probably."

"Uh... I don't know if he has any. There's juice in the chilled cupboard though."

She rattled around, occasionally making surprised or amused noises; he couldn't tell which.

"I wouldn't have expected a princess to sort her own drinks."

She scoffed lightly.

"It's just a title. Please don't feel you have to stand on ceremony."

"We've kidnapped you," Thor said, returning with a few pillows and covers. "I doubt you can get less ceremonious."

"Oh, please. You haven't kidnapped me. I came because I wanted to. I'm practically on vacation."

"Well, I doubt your brother will see it like that."

"Not yet, no, but he'll come around. Where are your tools?"

Loki watched with some interest as Thor produced a variety of strange instruments out of various cubbyholes and hidden storage spaces. Nothing seemed organised. He was pulling screwdrivers out of cupboards with tins in them, pliers out of cutlery drawers, something Loki didn't recognise out of a vegetable basket.

"This is so rustic," Shuri said delightedly. "It'll just be a day or so and then you can drop me off somewhere nice. You won't even notice I'm here."

Somehow Loki doubted that.


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm really sorry about this," Thor said. "Trust me, my life is not usually this intense."

He'd suggested a walk, a breath of fresh air, but Loki suspected he really wanted a proper chat in private. Shuri was already getting to work in his kitchen. Still, it was nice out here, the green planet swirling in the sky and a faint, pleasant scent in the air. Clean and fresh. Floral.

"Are you sure? You mean it's not all crash landing in the past unexpectedly, running from the law, abducting princesses..."

"It's usually a lot more scavenging and repairs of old furniture and scrap metal. Selling stuff. Buying stuff. Transportation."

"You're a rag and bone man."

For once, Loki found himself on the front foot, knowing something Thor clearly didn't.

"It's a man who goes through rubbish to find useful things. And almost anything can be useful. They used to come to the orphanage, the factory. The matron used to give them kitchen scraps to make them go away."

Thor smiled a little crookedly.

"Glad to know I'm part of a centuries old tradition."

"At least you smell better than they did."

"I should hope so. But I mean it. I was hoping to ease you into things more."

"Is there any way to ease into this world? Everything is new, everything is different. There's a princess blacksmithing in your kitchen... Who is her brother? Is he likely to come looking for her?"

"King T'Challa. He's a great diplomat. Very intelligent, very shrewd. But fiercely loyal and I expect very protective of his younger sister. He seems to keep a close eye on her."

"But she's not exactly afraid of wandering off, is she? Maybe she goes missing fairly often."

"Even if she does, he'll have heard the circumstances by now. Probably instantly. He'll be searching for us."

"So what do we do?"

Thor shrugged.

"Make him think we're somewhere other than we are, I suppose. Just for a few days. And then we can get her to go home and call off the search. We'll travel around, get ourselves seen. Positive sightings in random places with no pattern."

"What if we get caught? There won't always be a princess there to be a convenient hostage."

At least Thor seemed to think about it. They would need to have contingency plans, ideas for escape if they ran into trouble.

"We can try places with minimal law enforcement," he said. "Though there may be bounty hunters. How's your combat?"

"Combat?"

"Fighting. Not with weaponry, just... You know. Brawls. If someone came at you like _this_ say."

He stepped sideways so they were facing each other, planting his feet, half crouching as though he was going to tackle him around the middle.

And, yes, Loki knew how to fight, but only how to fight dirty. Being a small and fairly scrawny child had meant focussing on ending fights quickly and sometimes brutally. He'd known the taste of blood, of earth, sometimes of other boys' flesh when a quick bite would break a hold or loosen a grip.

He dodged left and kicked Thor's knee, sending him tumbling, laughing the whole time.

"Nice. OK, so now you've made him angry. What next?"

"I run away," Loki said. "Back to the ship."

"Ah," Thor said. "But his friend jumps you from behind."

He span Loki round, an arm around his chest, pinning his arms to prevent any elbowing.

"I won't do it in case I hurt you," Loki said. "But I slam my head backwards and break his nose."

"Oh, now he's angry too."

He seized Loki around the waist and flopped them both backwards into the dirt, stilling his giggling struggles, legs hooked around him and arms completely clamped to his side. No leverage for another headbutt.

"What now?"

Loki wriggled experimentally, managing to get his head to the side, so he could see Thor, grinning and disheveled.

He carefully leant forward and grazed his cheek with his teeth, a playful parody of a bite.

Thor made a low rumbling sound and his grip changed, becoming an embrace, hands roaming over his chest and stomach, meeting his lips again. It was an awkward angle though, Loki soon managing to turn over and stop craning his neck.

There was a tiny pink patch where his teeth had been and he suddenly had the strangest desire to leave a little mark on Thor's skin, like the marks on his machine-mate Shirley's neck that had almost got her thrown out of the factory for wanton, unladylike behaviour. He'd overheard her paramour talking about it, how she'd gasped and moaned in his arms and he'd almost proposed then and there in the back alley.

The thought briefly flitted through his mind that they were both long dead. They'd grown old, maybe. Maybe their descendants were out there among the stars now.

But he was here. Now.

Thor looked at him through hooded eyes, curious almost as Loki pulled down the collar of his shirt and tried to push the translation necklace up, groaning when he fixed his lips to a likely looking spot.

Fingers ran through his hair as Thor bared his neck completely, giving him more room, a faint grunt as he gently used his teeth.

When they'd first met, he'd been amazed that their bodies were so similar. That sense of an angelic nature that he'd been so certain of had misled him, but now he knew. Flesh and blood, as base as his own, able to be marked and sensitive to touch.

"Ah..." Thor said. "Go gently."

A soothing - hopefully - kiss, feeling Thor's pulse beneath his lips, thrilling to be able to have such an effect by such simple means, and then he examined his handiwork. A little bloom, a red mark just below his collarbone.

Thor sighed gently, stroking Loki's back some more.

"I'm forgiven, then?" he asked. "For being secretive?"

"Hmm. Well... I'm sure you'll make it up to me later."

Thor chuckled, humming lightly.

"I'm sure I can think of a few ways, yeah."

They were just getting back to lazy kisses when there was a faint booming sound. Like something had gone bang.

It rather put a dampener on things.


	11. Chapter 11

"It's fine," Shuri insisted. "Nothing to worry about."

She waved away a cloud of lilac smoke, apparently completely unconcerned.

"By the way, your soldering iron needs repaired," she said. "It burns hotter than it should. I'll add it to the list."

Loki tried to see what she was making, hoping it might be evident. It was small, like a pendant. Thor had said it was a machine, though. Perhaps it was like the translation devices or had a similar purpose.

"Can't you do it outside?" Thor asked, trying to waft the lingering smell of chemicals out with a towel.

"If you've got an outside table, yes."

"I will get you a table."

"I put dinner on to cook if that helps."

It certainly did in Loki's opinion. She was an excellent chef, even if he wasn't entirely sure what everything in the dish was. Vegetables cooked in the oven, richly spiced, with some kind of grain. Delicious, if a little hotter spice-wise than he was used to.

"So, when exactly are you from?" Shuri asked.

"1862," Loki said, watching her jaw drop.

"No way! That's so long ago. You pre-date... so much stuff. Planes. Telephones. The Eiffel Tower. Computers, everything. And it's extremely illegal to go back then."

"In my defence, I wasn't aiming for then," Thor said. "But I needed to move quickly and I got the numbers in the wrong order or something. But it's worked out quite well for me."

"For both of us," Loki said. "Hopefully."

"Who were you before?" Shuri asked. "What did you do?"

It felt like a whole other life, really. Like a dream. Or maybe this was the dream and soon he'd wake up.

"Orphan," he said, shrugging. "Worked in the factory until I was grown, had to move suddenly, went to the countryside where I laboured on a farm. I was no one. Just Loki. Just... a man."

"No one is no one. It's why time travel is so dangerous. If you slow someone down, then they end up in the wrong place, and then they aren't there to help someone crucial and suddenly huge world events are distrupted. The most apparently insignificant person can change all of history. People acting in bad faith can really cause havoc. But then again, that's quantum for you."

"Quantum?"

"Infinite universes," Thor said, sipping his drink. "Every decision and choice and chance can go multiple ways and quantum says every possibility exists in its own universe. There's a universe where I didn't bring you here. One where I never went back in the first place. One where you didn't find me. One where you went to a different farm and weren't there. One where one or both of us were never born or we were women or... Anything, really."

It all sounded dreadfully confusing.

"Can you go to these different universes?" Loki asked.

"There are theories," Shuri said. "But it's never been done. Besides, there would be another Loki there perhaps. Another Shuri. Another Thor Odinson."

A faint clatter of cutlery. And wide eyes, a look of guilt.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine," Thor said. "I just haven't used that name for a long time. But Loki has agreed to give me some time and will decide then if he still wants to know everything."

"Ah. I understand."

Loki did not, but he had agreed and he would be patient.

Even though patient was hard.

"It's been a long day," he said. "I may go to bed soon."

"Good idea," Thor said. "Your majesty, might I show you where the bathroom is, should you wish to bathe?"

Loki finished eating, leaving the dishes for the morning. Odinson. What a name. So similar to his own. He didn't know if his father was called Laufey, or maybe his mother even. Was Thor's father called Odin? Why had he forsaken his name?

Patience. And letting Thor make things up to him.

He was just settling into the pile of pillows when Thor returned, sighing and leaning against the wall.

"You're being very accommodating to me," he said. "I am very grateful, you know. And I'm not just saying this to flirt and seduce, I genuinely mean it."

"You're giving me a new life at what seems to be great personal risk," Loki said. "And I believe you are a man of your word, at least where I am concerned. Now, come here."

Thor didn't immediately. He got undressed first, the love bite clearly visible on his skin. Only then did he slip beneath the blanket and into Loki's arms.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Well, there was talk earlier of some kind of consolation. I rather thought you had something in mind."

"Mm. Something I wanted to do before, but since we couldn't talk, I couldn't ask..."

"What's that?"

Another kiss, long and lingering.

"I want to suck your cock, but I'd prefer a bit of a warning before you come in my mouth."

Sensible thought rather vanished from Loki's mind for a moment. He knew such acts were possible, of course. He'd overheard enough talk of it, even glimpsed the occasional tryst down alleyways. And when he'd had his little daydreams about certain men of his acquaintance, he'd found himself gazing at their mouths, wondering what it was like, both to do and to feel.

"Is that alright?" Thor asked. "If it's not to your tastes..."

"No," Loki said quickly. "No, it's... It's to my... Yes."

Thor grinned at him, hands running boldly over his body.

"Were you daydreaming about what I'm about to do, pumpkin? Imagining it when the reality awaits?"

"I have a vivid imagination."

"Mmm. Well, you must tell me what other things you have imagined. Later."

He began kissing his way down Loki's body, pausing at his nipples to tease just a little, but focussed on his goal.

Despite himself, Loki felt a little nervous. What if he... tasted bad?

Thor planted a kiss to the tip of his half-hard cock, moaning happily.

"Can't wait to feel you get stiff in my mouth."

A pulse of desire rushed through Loki's body. It felt so good and strange to be so openly wanted.

"You'll have to hurry then," he said, finding his voice breathless.

Thor chuckled and wrapped his lips around Loki's length, sucking hard enough to make him see stars, his body almost convulsing. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before; warm and wet, the pressure so different to a hand.

He was letting out little cries, doing his best to muffle them. He didn't exactly want their guest to know just what they were up to. It was overwhelming almost, unbelievable, both the sensation and the view of Thor's head between his legs.

There was even a moment where Thor looked up, giving him a perfect view of the arousal in his eyes and how his mouth looked as he moved and Loki found himself nearly done for, moaning at it.

"Hm?" Thor hummed.

"I like the... Ah... The visuals."

Thor's laughter practically had him writhing. He'd known this act was pleasant, but just how good was a bit of a surprise. It felt intoxicating, unbelievably so. If he never felt this good again, he might still be able to die happy, knowing that such a beautiful and fascinating man had wanted him, wanted to make him feel good.

Already, he could feel a distinct wave growing in the pit of his stomach, a heat that was building and building as Thor began to bob his head, using his hand around the base of Loki's cock.

He was going to spill and soon, he knew it. Even though he wanted to stay like this forever.

"I'm... I'm close," he murmured. "Oh, don't stop..."

It didn't seem like Thor had any intention to, gripping Loki's hip with his left hand, trying to take his cock deeper and faster.

"Oh! Oh, Thor..."

He'd expected Thor to avoid tasting his spend, but he didn't seem to mind. He even swallowed, making Loki's stomach flip, amazed by his lack of disgust.

But, of course, Thor was aroused too and a good lover would not leave him unsatisfied.

"Shall I return the favour?" Loki asked.

Thor crawled up his body, his heated flesh, kissing him deeply with bitterness upon his tongue.

"Another time," he said softly. "I'd prefer something more... familiar. That we've done before."

Loki rolled over at his touch, letting him align their bodies, feeling his hardness, the heat of it, the delightful sense of being held.

"Like this," Thor said, kissing his neck. "And then I can whisper ideas in your ear."

"Ideas?"

Thor reached past him, picking up a little bottle nestled among the pillows, a little slick that he rubbed on Loki's thighs.

"Other things that you might want to imagine in that wonderful mind of yours."

Mmm... Oh, yes, he wanted to hear all about it.

Already a few tendrils of arousal were beginning to reawaken in his spent body.


	12. Chapter 12

The silky oil smoothed Thor's way, rutting between Loki's thighs in a quick rhythm before slowing, idly playing with his nipples, stroking them to tight little peaks beneath his fingertips.

"I'd love to spend a whole day making you spill over and over again. Just the two of us. No reason to hide. I'll hear all your moans and sighs, make you cry out my name..."

"And how will you do that?" Loki asked, trying to seem aloof and reserved, to egg Thor on.

A brief pause, an adjustment of the angle Thor was using, making the head of his cock rub against that spot that felt particularly good, making Loki keen just slightly.

"Do you know that you can touch that place from the inside? It feels... It can feel exquisitely good. With enough time, I would open you so gently, let you feel my fingers inside you, make you come like that. And then I'd... I'd use my cock."

Loki let out a little strangled cry, just picturing it. Buggery. Sodomy. And he knew how large Thor was, how hard it would surely be to get him inside, and yet he had heard it felt good...

"Yes..." he whispered. "Yes, I want that."

Thor groaned happily, his rhythm speeding up.

"Oh, you will love it. It feels so good, being full. Being fucked. I'll be so gentle until you want it harder. I'll look after you. And I can't wait to have you inside me."

If Loki had been almost aroused again, he definitely was now, palming his cock as it thickened again.

"You want me to..."

"Oh, Loki, say it for me."

"You want me to fuck you?"

"Mm... Oh, fuck, yes. Imagine it. Seeing my body yield to you... Watching yourself slide right in. We can do it outside in the sunlight, in the fresh air."

Loki moaned, his eyes falling shut, really stroking now. Oh, he could imagine it, the way the light would fall on Thor's skin, the look on his face, blissful and happy and it would be because of him.

Thor's hand joined his, stroking him, easing him towards a second climax he didn't know he had in him.

"Come on, Loki. I know you can do it, come on."

In the end, it was partially the feeling of Thor spilling that helped him over the edge. It was still exciting to feel attractive enough for him. Special.

And it was better than exciting to be held in his arms, warm and safe.

"I don't just want you for your ample charms, of course," Thor said, maybe sounding a little anxious. "I hope you know that."

"You want me because you know you will," Loki said a little sleepily, the stress of the day washing over him. "It's almost as confusing as your quantum stuff."

"It's a paradox, really. I have no doubts because older me has already told me that we fall in love. Therefore, we each must have qualities that the other admires. And I can hardly wait to find out what they are."

It did sound nice, Loki had to admit.

"We're going adventuring tomorrow?" he asked, feeling sleep tugging at him.

"Sort of," Thor said. "We're going to get Shuri a workbench."

"Where from?"

"Oh... I'm sure we'll manage to turn something up."

Loki was woken by Shuri singing and the smell of something cooking. Fairly tuneful singing, though he found the melody unusual.

He left Thor asleep and quickly slipped through to the bathroom. Such a luxury, hot water without having to wait or carry it.

It almost felt like a shame to wash away the evidence of last night's events, but he also knew he'd feel better if he freshened up.

Speaking of which, these clothes were amazing. They didn't smell at all. Perhaps they were made of some kind of special fabric.

Shuri had managed to change her entire outfit somehow. It must tie and fold in a range of ways to provide different options.

"You don't need to cook, you know," Thor said, popping his head round the corner, clearly also planning to bathe.

"It's a thank you for letting me stay," she called. "And thanks in advance."

Maybe Thor hadn't heard that.

"In advance of what?" Loki asked.

"Well, if you're going to get me a table anyway, I made a list of some other items which I'd love to have to hand. Nothing too necessary, but frankly a lot of his tools need repairs or upgrades. I'm quite good at that."

She'd made something that wasn't completely different to porridge. Palatable enough.

"Where did you learn to make machines?" Loki asked. "Who taught you?"

"School. Tutors. But they could only take me so far. I taught myself mostly. Inventing and experimenting is more fun than most things, I find."

She'd written her list on a piece torn from the box they'd delivered to her, but Loki wasn't sure what much of it meant beyond table.

Thor sauntered into the room with damp hair curling at his shoulders and looked at it dubiously.

"Why do you want lasers?" he asked.

"Precision cutting."

He sighed lightly.

"We'll do our best. No promises though."

That seemed to pass muster.


	13. Chapter 13

They were approaching another junkyard by the looks of things. A very different one with no visible structures, just heaps of... Well, Loki wasn't sure what. Maybe Thor didn't want to bring trouble down on his friend.

"Here," Thor said, throwing him a large handkerchief. "Tie this around your face."

Loki frowned at the back of his head. Were they bandits now?

"Are we going in disguise?"

"No, it just stinks. This helps a little. Not a lot, but a little bit."

Stepping out into the dust, Loki did not want to find out how bad it smelled without any protection. It was worse than the privy in the height of summer. Worse than the busiest thoroughfare when all the horses were sick. Worse than death.

"You get used to it," Thor said, picking his way towards one of the larger heaps. "And it makes you really appreciate fresh air when you get it. Right. Table, that's the main thing."

Thor was very easily distracted though. He seemed very interested in some other objects, gathering them together and hiding them under a box to return to before they left.

They weren't alone. There were a few other figures picking through the refuse, mainly by themselves or in very small groups that could possibly be families. Some of them were absolutely tiny.

Thor sidled up to a lone one, looking them over. It was a very small, thin creature, hunched and wearing a tattered sort of cloak, using a stick to turn over the leavings. And the more Loki looked, the more sure he was that they somehow had too many arms.

"Looking for furniture," Thor said, like it was neither here nor there, like it was merely a comment on the weather. "Seen any?"

"Broken armchair," the... person said in a chittering voice. "Old stools. Tall."

"Like lab stools? Where?"

"Help first, point after."

Thor agreed, using his greater bulk to move something large and heavy, revealing what was beneath. Loki had a horrible feeling that there would be insects, like when turning over stones in his childhood, but it seemed to be just more junk.

That was to his untrained eye, though. Their new friend cackled, scampering forward, snatching up something shiny and waving it excitedly.

"Treasure! Treasure!"

"The tall stools?" Thor asked.

They were given approximate directions. Three heaps over and eight forward.

"If there's stools, it might have been a school clearing out. There might be desks. Or it could be a bar, I suppose."

It seemed as good a place to look as any.

"This is where you work, then?" Loki asked. "This is how you find your wares."

"Exactly."

"So... you'll teach me what to look out for? How to fix things?"

He did not want to remain ignorant forever, after all. They would become a team, able to work twice as quickly as Thor on his own.

"If you like, sure."

"I do like. It's good to reuse things. And besides, I want to be useful. Productive. Helpful."

Thor looked at him a little strangely.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too."

They found the stools without much difficulty, piles of them thrown together with legs sticking up everywhere like the ribs of some ancient creature. There didn't seem to be anything much else around them though, not that they were looking for anyway.

"I'd prefer not to spend too much time on this," Thor said. "There's no guarantee that there even is a decent table accessible here."

"How about we improvise, then?" Loki asked.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, a table is just legs and a top, right? Take two of those stools, maybe three or four, get a big piece of wood... Ta-dah! It's a table."

"Especially if we clamp the top down," Thor said thoughtfully. "And it won't matter what happens to a bit of scrap wood."

"Plus, we can clean the stools afterwards. They seem fairly sturdy. Surely someone would have a use for them."

"Shuri can test their durability for us. Good idea. Let's find some of the better ones."

Loki felt a glimmer of pride. He was making suggestions, good ones. Proving himself to be adaptive and inventive; all potential qualities that Thor could fall for or at least appreciate.

It was a strange realisation as they pulled out what they could from the tangled metal, sorting them into possibles and rejected - completely broken, rusted through and so on - that he ought to be looking at Thor's qualities too to see what he liked, beyond the obvious.

He didn't have the same guarantee, he supposed. Maybe Thor fell for him and he never got beyond basic attraction.

What did love even feel like? He wasn't sure he would recognise it.

"What exactly is this place?" he asked, trying to distract himself from such concerning thoughts. "Why is it like this?"

"Did they send refuse overseas in your day, or was that later?" Thor asked.

Loki wasn't sure. He'd never heard of that happening, but it could have done, he supposed.

"Well, maybe a few years later then, rich countries often found they had more rubbish than they could handle so they would pay other countries to take it from them. This is kind of the same. Someone rich owns this moon. They'll have done certain things to the atmosphere, made it capable of causing rot, and now people pay to dump here."

"It's a giant ash hill. A whole moon of it."

"More or less."

"And are we allowed to take things from it?"

"Well..." Thor said, in a way that translated fairly obviously as no. "They'll sometimes chase us off, but really this is in their best interest. The more stuff we take and repurpose, the more space there is to dump more."

They selected four of the stools and stacked them up, hopefully to the point that getting them into the ship wouldn't be too cumbersome, looking out for wood on their way back. Thor's collection of objects hadn't been disturbed and Loki was gathering them into a box when a whirring sound echoed overhead, dust blowing up all around them.

"What the hell is that?!" he yelled.

"It's a drop," Thor called back. "Keep your eyes closed til it passes."

It felt like he was being pressed into the ground, wind pushing on him like the strongest gale, gasping in shock as it suddenly left.

His eyes were streaming when he opened them, not wanting to wipe with such grimy hands, blinking and looking blearily at a boxy ship floating out over the junk heap. Their fellow scavengers seemed to be chasing it.

"What are they doing?"

"New stuff," Thor said, shrugging. "You never know what it might be."

The base opened, sending what seemed like a tonne of who knew what down onto the ground, clouds of dust rushing up from it.

Thor broke something behind him, ripping a wooden crate apart, grunting with effort.

"Table top," he said. "Right, come on. I'd rather not be recognised here. It's a good hunting ground."

Loki looked back at the drop ship, the people paying them absolutely no attention, and carried his box of parts hurriedly back to the familiar tin can.


	14. Chapter 14

He hadn't realised just how right Thor was about growing accustomed to the stench of the junk yard until they returned home with their prizes and fresh air filled his nostrils.

He also hadn't noticed just how dusty they were until Thor removed his handkerchief and suddenly half his face was almost grey with ash.

"Should we... clean this stuff before Shuri uses it?" he asked.

Thor hummed lightly.

"I'm definitely going to sand down the wood first. Make it a better surface, fewer splinters and all that. I suppose it wouldn't do any harm. The stuff for that kind of thing is all in the basement though."

Some basement. It was lower than the living area, Loki supposed, but it was more just a cavern. This one had not even had the modest conversion to habitable that the house had. Still, it was a real treasure trove once you saw past the clutter.

Thor rattled around, knowing what seemed like secret passages between objects, coming back with a bowl and wire wool and some kind of detergent and something else strapped to his back.

"What's that?" Loki asked.

"Sander."

"Oh. Oh, I thought you meant you'd do it by hand."

"Nah, not something this big. Besides, it doesn't need to be neat like that. Just needs to be useable."

Shuri had evidently seen them arrive and was already examining the small box of objects curiously. Maybe some of them were from her shopping list. Loki was fairly sure he hadn't seen anything with blades though. Nothing for precision cutting.

"They're airing the footage from Bijmu, by the way," she said. "It's very dramatic."

Loki looked to Thor as he sighed.

"Do I look suitably thuggish and brutish?" he asked.

"They're focussing more on the fact that you have a mysterious friend who no one recognises. And my brother gave a press conference, but he says he trusts that I will have come to no harm as he believes you to be an honourable man, which has pissed off a few people, as you might imagine."

"Loki, you'll need some water for that to work properly," Thor said.

It was fairly obvious that he wanted Loki away for a moment so as not to overhear, which made him want to listen in all the more.

Was that an infringement? He was the one being... Well, not lied to necessarily, but certainly the truth was being kept from him.

He ducked into the kitchen but strained his ears, trying to catch their conversation.

"Listen," Thor was saying. "I don't want him seeing that stuff. It will say too much."

"Is that so bad?" Shuri asked. "Shouldn't he know?"

"I'll tell him. I will. But I want him to know me as myself and not anything else."

Loki felt a tiny pang of worry. What could it be? What could possibly be so bad that Thor thought it would endanger their relationship?

He filled his bowl quickly and rinsed his face, hoping it wasn't obvious that he had listened in, and made his way back outside. Thor was already sanding the wood, his machine making the most frightful noise, but it was somehow companionable as Loki sat down before one of the stools and started cleaning it.

This was good. It was steady, methodical, rubbing from the top of the legs down and revealing clean, if somewhat age spotted metal beneath the grime. They weren't dull grey at all, but shiny. They'd have been like mirrors, in their day.

Loki hadn't been to school really. He could read and write, but it was more by his own determination than anything else. The so-called teachers they had in the orphanage didn't really have the passion or the skill for the role. Thor had indicated that these were likely from a classroom, but perhaps he had meant a college or some such.

It would certainly have looked very grand, a whole room of these, in their prime.

He didn't notice that the sander had gone quiet, too engrossed in making a good job, enjoying being outside and occupied but without any pressure. There was pleasure to be fond in accomplishing a task without looking over his shoulder.

A clunk as Shuri dropped a handful of what looked like torture devices but which were probably the clamps necessary to make the makeshift table.

"Will these suit your purposes?" he asked.

"I think so," she said. "The top will be flat and it should be big enough."

"What are you making?"

It's a sort of communication device. Small and discreet, suitable for the kind of tense situations my brother sometimes finds himself in. It shouldn't be difficult to do. It's just a little fiddly."

He finished his second stool and moved to the third.

"You know, you're not as I would have expected someone from your era to be," she said. "No offence. But, well. It's not exactly known for its race relations."

Loki didn't really know what she meant. He knew about Africa, in that he knew it existed, but not much else.

"I mean... Did you even know any people who weren't white growing up?"

"Not many," he admitted. "But there were people from all across the empire at the docks. And I remember once a Maharajah from India came into the factory. He was very grand, wearing one of those orient turbans. I don't think he thought much of our work though. He seemed very unimpressed."

"What did you make?"

"It was a mill. We spun cotton. That day I'd only just been put in charge of a machine. I got too big to be a scrap catcher. The bits used to get caught in the machine, you see. You had to run underneath and pick up all the scraps."

"Wasn't that terribly dangerous?" she asked, attaching the wood to one of the clean stools. "Didn't kids used to die and lose fingers?"

"Well... Yes. But you just had to be careful, really."

This was clearly a very different time. She seemed shocked. But it had been... normal. Just how life was.

He wondered briefly how many other things seemed normal for him and were no longer. How many people lived their whole lives under oppression and cruelty and never so much as imagined that there could be another way.

Finishing up the last stool, Loki became aware of Thor standing nearby, observing him. He concentrated on not showing that he'd noticed, contriving to seem natural and unconcerned.

He quite liked that Thor looked at him though.

And maybe he did rush the final few strokes of his cleaning, getting up from the ground and stretching his back, hearing footsteps behind him.

"Hey," Thor said. "I think you should learn to shoot before we go anywhere too rough."

That came a little as a surprise.

"What, really shoot? With firearms?"

"Nothing so dangerous as that. Mainly for show, anyway. Come on, I'll demonstrate."

Something in Loki's stomach was deeply unsure about this. Fighting was one thing, but weapons...

Then again, if Thor said it wasn't dangerous then maybe it wasn't. What had Shuri said he was brandishing instead of a gun? Some kind of barber's tool, wasn't it?

Then again, a razor could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands.


	15. Chapter 15

It looked like a gun, like a pistol, but Thor insisted it wasn't.

"It just sends out a bright light," he said. "There's no bullet, no shot. It just disorientates people, that's all. Harmless. And it can send smoke too if you change this setting here."

"Is this legal?" Loki asked.

"Not exactly, but it's a lot less illegal than other things."

That would have to do, Loki supposed, though when he picked up the device and tried to fire it, the trigger wouldn't move.

"Some kind of safety catch?" he asked.

"It isn't linked to you yet. Your fingerprints. But it only takes a moment and then we'll both be able to use it, but no one else can use it against us."

 _We_ and _us_ again. He definitely didn't feel like Thor was trying to keep him as some sort of... male concubine. He was trying to include him, to make them into a partnership. It was quite endearing in a way.

"It's really old technology, this," Thor said, having him press his index finger to a flat piece of glass. "I think they already had it about 150 years after your era. Got given up when it became too easy to tamper with."

Loki frowned slightly.

"Then why do you use it?"

"Because people don't expect it. They've forgotten how to tamper with it. Besides, it's classic. Right, try it now."

Loki pointed it towards the corner of the basement, feeling as it yielded to his touch but not expecting just how much knock back there was going to be.

Not that he noticed the jerk of his arm compared to the intense white light that suddenly filled his vision.

"I'm blind!"

"No, you're not. You're not, don't worry. It's OK, just blink. Just blink."

The nothing he could see gradually changed to stinging after images, like just after looking at the sun.

"I thought you said it was harmless," he said plaintively.

"It doesn't cause any lasting effects. I had kind of assumed you'd close your eyes first."

"Well, I wanted to see what it did."

Thor chuckled, kissing him on the forehead.

"I should have warned you. I'm sorry. You're curious about everything, why would you close your eyes and miss something?"

There was possibly a compliment in there somewhere. Something about being interested in the world, in everything. And he was.

And it proved Thor wasn't intending on coddling him in any kind of patronising manner.

"You see how it works, though," Thor said. "And besides, you probably won't have to do more than threaten."

"Probably?"

"Don't worry," Thor said. "We're wanted alive, not dead."

He likely genuinely thought that was a comforting thing to say.

"We're just going to put our heads above the parapet, as it were, be seen far away from here, and head home with dinner."

And then he said something about worms and distances and not to worry, all of which put Loki on edge. They were going to go down some kind of worm's hole in the ship. He shuddered at even the idea of such a creature. More like a great serpent than a worm, surely, if it would fit.

Maybe that was why Thor also warned about the risk of nausea...

"I should have pills for it somewhere, but I can't think where. I'm used to it now. But we can get some while we're out."

"An apothecary?"

"Something like that."

Despite the promise of more unpleasantness, Loki was quite excited at the idea of another jaunt. Junk yards aside, being in this world was like falling into one of the half-remembered stories the older children used to tell after bedtime, full of wyverns and princesses.

He somehow couldn't imagine Shuri ever being held in a tower though. Or pricking her finger on a spindle. She'd probably take the spinning wheel apart and make something else from it. Or spin a rope to climb to safety.

"We'll be back soon," Thor called to her where she seemed to be doing something extremely complex involving multiple magnifying glasses. "Don't cook. We're bringing take-out."

She waved without looking up, too engrossed in her work.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Loki asked, taking his usual chair.

"Little place on the other side of the galaxy. They do good refried beans, but I'm willing to sacrifice access to them for a few years."

The giant worm did not surface. It turned out that 'worm hole' was merely a metaphor of some kind. A horrible kind which Loki hated.

At first it felt like falling and then like every bone in his body was vibrating within his flesh like it might burst out and then like something he couldn't even describe other than bad and then it was like heat stroke and faintness all at once.

He retched a little, trying desperately not to vomit, flopping in his chair when finally the sensation subsided.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked.

Loki could only manage a groan.

At least landing wasn't so bad this time. And this planet, when he stepped out onto delightfully solid ground, felt almost like Earth. Almost like England.

It was night-time, but clearly a summer's night as the air was warm, some insects chirping in the grass. They appeared to be in some kind of port for the tin cans, surrounded by ships of all shapes. Bigger than Thor's, most of them. And less battered, Loki noticed.

"There are a lot of people here," he said.

"Yeah," Thor said. "It's very up-and-coming. They say you can really be yourself here."

There was a town, glowing in the landscape, a pathway leading to it with lanterns shining brightly. Loki was a little amazed that they simply strolled in, not even trying to hide.

"Won't someone recognise us?" he asked.

"Maybe. But they're not really looking for us here. And people see what they expect to see. Like how when you saw a star fall with a man in it, you saw an angel."

Loki supposed that was fair.

"So what do they see?"

"Two handsome men out to get some dinner just like everyone else."

Confidence was attractive.

And utterly wrong.


	16. Chapter 16

Flames shot out of a large pan, a rich and delicious smell perfuming the air, which would have been very enticing if Loki hadn't been feeling unwell so recently. The whole place was alive and vibrant, lit by bright lanterns that almost made it seem like day, a strange mix of scents from a dozen different foods being cooked, a tangled hubbub of speech.

He thought some people were looking at them a little oddly, but he tried not to worry about it as Thor strolled through the market place apparently without a care and down an alleyway between two stalls.

Evidently, he knew where he was going.

"Right, we'll get you some defence against travel sickness and then pick up some food, make a scene and head off."

"You're making that sound very easy."

"Well, I'm quite good at scenes."

"I never would have guessed."

This flirtation was fun, but Loki was feeling more and more uneasy. This felt like a shady part of town.

The building they entered was definitely not the bright and hygienic premises he was expecting, nothing at all like Doctor Jane's premises. It was very dark for one thing, all metal and shadows.

A harsh buzzer sounded as they entered, setting Loki's teeth on edge. A figure came from a room behind a long counter, the whole room seemingly filled with locked drawers.

"Yes?" they asked, in a strange voice. They seemed to have a beard that covered most of their face, clawed hands in thick gloves.

"Looking for gravity and wormhole pills," Thor said.

"Human?"

"Mm."

In a strange, shuffling gait, the figure climbed onto a box and pulled out a ring of keys, selecting one apparently at random and opening a rattling, squeaky drawer.

"How much?"

"Three month's worth."

A grunt of approval and the figure turned back, a small parcel in hand.

It was at this point that Loki became aware that there was a lot of noise going on outside. Quite concerning really. Yelling.

"Should we be worried about that?" he asked.

"There are fights here all the time," Thor said, handing over his money rectangle. "Probably nothing."

He said that, but the moment they left the apothecary, Thor paused, tilting his head to the side. He was hearing something.

"This way," he said, heading in the opposite direction than they'd come and then through a maze of alleyways and side streets.

"We're being followed," he muttered.

"Who by?"

"I think I know her. Don't run until I say."

Loki tried his best to be ready.

"Dangerous?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah."

Now he mentioned it, Loki could hear footsteps. Heavy ones. And something like machinery.

Thor made a sharp left and grabbed Loki's hand, pulling him into a doorway.

They hid in the shadows as a strange mechanical woman passed. Loki's eyes went very wide. She appeared to have weapons built in her very arms, a kind of telescope attached to her head in place of one of her eyes.

She let out a growl and started running, clearly thinking they'd sprinted away. Once she'd turned the corner, Thor let out a long sigh.

"I wasn't expecting that," he said. "Bad luck for us. It's fine though. She's chasing shadows. Come on."

They snuck back around the corner and headed for the crowds, Thor making a beeline for one stall in particular where a large man was stirring an enormous pot.

"Three, please," Thor said, calm and casual.

A nod was all the recognition they got.

"So how come all the people after you are women?" Loki asked.

Thor laughed.

"They're not. You've just only seen two of them. Plenty men want me too."

"I'll bet."

The food smelled good, three boxes of it appearing on the counter in front of them.

Quickly followed by what looked to Loki like a crossbow bolt. It must have been shot through the slim gap between their bodies.

There were screams, understandably, and the crowd parted, the metal woman striding towards them with singular purpose.

"Thought you got away?" she muttered. "No one gets away from me."

"Funny," Thor said, casually. "I've got away from you plenty times."

Loki's hand was on the blinding gun, but he knew it was a last resort, even if they were making a scene. And Thor's hands were up, like he was surrendering.

"Who's paying you for this?" he asked.

"King T'Challa will be very grateful to have his sister's kidnapper delivered."

Thor laughed as she came closer, dangerously so.

"No guarantee of payment? Tut tut. That's not like you."

She snarled and Thor lunged for her, dragging her arm down.

"Get the food!" he yelled.

That was the last thing on Loki's mind, but he grabbed the boxes anyway, the stallholder cowering behind his cooking pot.

Good idea...

Loki seized the ladle and swung it wildly, sending hot stew into the woman's face. Inelegant, but effective for around six-hundredths of a second.

She swept Thor's feet from under him, the two of them tumbling to the ground, but Thor had bulk on his side, managing to pin her.

"There's a... On my belt. Setting three."

It was some kind of tube, with numbers and a large red button.

"Just put it to her skin and push go."

It appeared to be some kind of lightning machine, a loud crackling sound echoing and she went limp, but still very much awake and yelling.

"Nothing personal, Nebula," Thor muttered. "I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon."

He got up, groaning lightly. She'd given a good fight, it seemed.

"Run," he said quietly, breaking into a jog. "Before it wears off."

"What was that?" Loki asked, being careful not to spill their dinner.

"It short-circuited her, shut down her limbs. She'll recover soon, though, and we want to be gone when that happens."

"But she was made of metal."

"A cyborg, yes."

Alright. Get to safety first, then ask questions.

It was only when Thor was closing the door to the ship that he noticed the blood oozing sluggishly from his shoulder.

"You're hurt," he said.

"Only a little bit. I'll survive. You can patch me up when we get home."

He winked, clearly trying for some kind of playfulness, but Loki was far too concerned now. Thor needed to look after himself better.

Or rather, he needed to be looked after.

At least the pills made the journey back through the wormhole far less unpleasant.


	17. Chapter 17

Thor hissed and grumbled as Loki dabbed at his back with some kind of healing fluid, Shuri happily tucking into dinner.

"I'm fine," he mumbled petulantly. "It's barely a scratch."

It was a six-inch long gouge more like. Not deep, but still. It was bad enough that Loki had put his foot down and insisted on treating it.

"Hush. I'm almost done. I've patched up enough cuts and grazes to know what I'm doing."

Eventually it seemed that Thor realised complaining was more trouble than it was worth, letting Loki apply a dressing and pulling on a soft, stretchy shirt that shouldn't irritate it.

"This is really good," Shuri offered, gesturing at her tub with her fork. "And there's been more about you on the news. Spotted during a brawl, they say."

Thor scoffed, pulling his own box of food across the table.

"It wasn't a brawl. Nebula's just a bounty hunter, not always particularly good at it. I've dealt with her before. And she'll have made herself scarce fairly quickly. Payment with no questions asked is one thing, attention from the Wakandan security forces is another."

"Oh, the Dora Milaje are alright," Shuri said. "They tend to ask questions before shooting, unlike certain others I could mention."

"Fair point."

More talking through him, Loki noted. More things he wasn't supposed to know just yet.

It was funny how he could go from feeling hopeful and valued to almost resentful so quickly.

Still. He'd find out soon enough. Patience is a virtue, as they say. A very difficult virtue...

It was clearly something about Thor's background. Maybe the place he was from. He'd said something about being hunted for political reasons. Perhaps he was being persecuted for something.

But then why be so secretive? What had he done that was so terrible?

Loki tried his best to put it out of his mind as he bathed, wiping away the day's grime, emerging refreshed and pleasantly tired, flopping into Thor's arms.

"A lot of excitement today," Thor murmured. "Maybe we should have a quieter day tomorrow. I have a few ongoing projects in the basement that we can work on."

Loki could only really nod. He hadn't realised just how exhausted he was. The junkyard seemed a long time ago and Thor's bed was warm and soft, his kisses reassuring and sleep very easy to give into.

Over the following days, he learned just how low-key Thor's life usually was. They made a few excursions to scrap heaps, never too far, but mainly they were repairing things that Thor already had.

Well... Thor was repairing things. And to be fair, the kind of smithing and spark-flying soldering he was doing seemed somewhat complex and maybe would take some time to learn.

But Loki knew about fabric. And there was fabric here, cotton or at least something very similar, and chairs which needed new fabric coverings. He was good at cleaning the great sheets, hanging them out in the sun to dry and bleach, measuring and cutting and stripping off the old, stained and moth-eaten pillow covers to be used for cleaning rags.

"We should get dye," Thor said thoughtfully, helping him peg out a rough canvas that would cover some dining chairs. "You've got a knack for this."

He'd never been told he was good at something before. Not in so many words. Reward in his world came in the shape of more work, more responsibility. Not in words and smiles and literal pats on the back.

It was nice. Really nice.

He would have liked more intimacy perhaps, but Thor seemed to be withdrawing from that a little. Perhaps waiting until they were alone to enjoy the feast of pleasure he had described, or maybe he wanted Loki to be the instigator of what he wanted.

But that was difficult when he'd lived so long in a world where admitting to such desires would have him evicted or arrested or worse. He was used to admiring from afar, not waking up in another's embrace, feeling warm and content.

In all honesty though, he was often too tired by the end of the day for much more than sleepy kisses.

Thor was right. Life was a often a little dull, but there was joy to be found in companionable dullness. Just having someone there who cared made such a difference.

And in the evening, there were more entertainment options than Loki could ever have dreamed of.

He'd read books when he could borrow them, but Thor was able to spirit whole libraries to glass at the touch of his fingertips, all arranged by genre or era or subject. Some of them really rather lascivious; Loki was amazed such things were freely available, though they certainly gave him plenty of ideas for future activities.

And where he'd only ever really heard proper music in pubs and in church, suddenly there were full orchestras and strange new sounds available. Shuri seemed to have an unending knowledge of lyrics and sometimes the correct dances for different tunes. Some were distinctly easier than others...

And the plays... Oh, the plays. With blood that looked so real, impossible happenings, more than one occasion when he found himself amazed or terrified by what happened in the projections.

"It's not real," Thor said one night when horrors flatly refused to leave Loki's head, making him jump at shadows.

"Easy for you to say," Loki said. "I see things that seem unreal every day."

And Thor had chuckled and cuddled him close, being so warm and solid and comforting that finally he was able to drift off.

It had its dull moments, but it was often still better than anything Loki had ever dreamed. He could imagine happiness in his future for what might be the first time.

In fact, they didn't have any real trouble until the day Shuri announced she needed some help with testing her brother's present.


	18. Chapter 18

"This isn't ideal," Shuri said, looping the result of her hard work onto a chain finer than any Loki had ever seen. "But just for a first test, take it and walk that way for... I don't know. Til you can barely see me."

The device looked very much like a seashell. Dark grey, beautifully curved. Loki could quite see why it might be worn as an ornament.

She was able to talk to him from it though, her voice quiet but clear. Distance did not appear to be an issue. And when directed to press on the right places, she could hear him too if he spoke into it.

A disguised talking necklace, appearing like nothing even remotely suspicious, but capable of being extremely useful in a variety of situations. Loki could see how this could be a good gift for a diplomat.

"I'd still like to test it long distance," she said over lunch. "Take it with you on your next excursion and try to get in contact. Who knows what far-off planets T'Challa might need it on?"

The more he heard about her brother, the more nervous Loki became. He was fair and clever, it seemed, but he would be worried about her. If he got the wrong idea about what exactly had happened to her, things could get very bad for them very quickly.

Then again, if they were kidnappers, surely they would have requested a ransom by now. Certainly Shuri seemed to believe he would simply be calmly awaiting her return.

It had been well over a month now. So much for the one or two days she'd estimated.

All the same, Loki took her speaking device with them that very afternoon, on a trip to a fairly nearby planet to pick up some fuel that needed taken to something they called a dry moon. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but no doubt he'd find out.

"I'm surprised you still have monarchies," he said thoughtfully as Thor steered them gently through an asteroid field.

"They're a little different to how you knew them, I think," Thor said. "T'Challa isn't necessarily king for life for one thing. He can be challenged for the role. It's one of the reasons it's in his interest to know what others around him may be plotting."

"So he's more like a Prime Minister?"

"Oh, no. No, no. It's not done by political parties or anything like that. Not really. Different groups, based on location or culture, nominate a sort of champion. Then they put forward their case. Much less political, really."

Maybe that made sense.

Loki tested the device from time to time on the way, hearing Shuri's cheery replies, advising on which of Thor's tools she was mending or improving now.

Evidently she did a good job; Thor only gave a cursory resistance to her ideas, mainly because he seemed to think he ought to.

They weren't just hauling fuel, it seemed. Thor tested a couple of barrels of water for freshness and mineral content before letting it onto his ship.

Ah... A dry moon. No fuel, no water, no nothing.

"Why would anyone be somewhere without water?" he asked.

"You can work it out," Thor said. "Just let your brain turn it over."

No water... He'd heard of deserts, of course. With oasis in them, though. Nowhere completely arid. You couldn't live in places like that.

But they'd been to a moon where the land had been manipulated and changed... What did you need to make water? It was... perpetual? Rain and sun and then it just cycled, right?

"Are they... making it so there is water there after all?"

Thor grinned at him over his shoulder.

"See?" he said. "Sharp. They think there's water and more beneath the surface, but it's taking them a long time to get through the crust."

Like some kind of massive pie...

Loki tested the device again as they grew close to the moon, a grey place, not very shiny.

"Hey," came Shuri's voice. "Still clear as day. Try it again when you land."

"I will. After delivery."

"Yeah," Thor said. "Paid work first."

He was steering them down towards the moon, an evident landing area which had been made flat for the purpose. Loki kept an eye out for people, but he seemed to find only machines.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"In the office, probably," Thor grunted, shunting their cargo onto push trolleys. "We may not see anyone alive in person."

Sure enough, they exited the ship and were met by an artificial man. Loki was slowly getting used to them. Some were more like living people than others.

This one was painted the same shade of bright yellow as the other machines and wearing a black metal hat, perhaps in an effort to make it seem more personable.

"Delivery," Thor said to it in exaggerated tones. "Water and fuel."

It clunked forwards in a faintly alarming manner and then a pole emerged from its stomach - or rather where a stomach would be - and folded out into a flat-bed carrying space that they could load the barrels onto.

It was a little disconcerting when its head turned through 180 degrees to 'see' where it was going as it rolled away back across the rocky moon surface.

No real eyes. No scans. No chance of recognition. You could live very much under the radar here.

Loki was a little proud that such an unfamiliar word was now easy to use in his own thoughts.

"They give me the creeps sometimes," Thor commented as Loki pulled the speaking device out of his pocket.

"Hello, Shuri?" he tried. "Can you still hear me?"

There was a pause. A crackle.

And then a man's voice.


	19. Chapter 19

Thor wheeled around instantly, eyes wide and staring.

"Hello," the man said, a smooth, deep voice. "Might I ask who you are and why exactly you're contacting my sister?"

Loki could only look at the shell in his hand in panic as Shuri spoke back, cross and exasperated.

"T'Challa, you know I hate it when you go into my lab without permission!"

"And I hate it when my sister goes missing for a month in the company of known criminals. Mother has been worried sick. Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

Thor snatched the ornament out of Loki's hand, putting it far closer to his lips than necessary.

"We'll drop her off on Bijmu," he said. "There's no need for any unpleasantness."

"I quite agree," T'Challa said, steady and calm. "But, alas, that may not be my decision to make."

There was a clunk, Shuri continuing to complain, apparently to no one, about not fair and invasion of privacy. Thor had broken into a run, though, Loki following suit, leaping aboard the ship.

"Pack your bags," Thor was barking into the shell. "Be ready to move."

It became clear that he didn't want to risk losing his hide out, that he had no intention of stopping for long in case someone tried to follow them or trace where they'd been.

Loki was holding his tongue. He was good at that. He'd learned as a child that sometimes it was the best way to avoid being shouted at. Not that he feared Thor would, but he clearly was experiencing enough stress for one moment without having to worry about his man from the past.

They swooped in to Thor's moon, a flying visit, Shuri running towards them with all the things she'd made and gathered tied in a bundle made from one of her scarves.

"I'm sorry," she said, flopping into her chair. "He's not supposed to go into my space. And he knows that. No one is. He must have looked at my plans, the early designs, and figured out how to listen in... He spoiled his birthday present too."

"Not exactly high on my agenda, I'm afraid," Thor said, flying jerkily around the green planet. "I'm sorry your little working holiday has to end under such circumstances."

She shrugged, apparently not at all worried about what trouble might be ahead.

"I had a nice time," she said.

Thor laughed a little bitterly, launching them forward in a way that made the ship rattle. It was honestly rather impressive how violently he could make it fly considering they were in empty space.

Bijmu loomed into view like an unseen reef before a galleon, dark and forboding, the silvery light of its local sun shining on the opposite side of the planet.

"Should we really be leaving her here alone at night?" Loki asked.

Shuri fixed him with a look of offence.

"I can look after myself," she said.

Thor paused for a while, concentrating on landing perhaps.

"Have you got your dazzler?" he asked. "Your flash gun?"

The light machine hung from his belt, easily to hand. In case he needed it.

"Yes," Loki said.

"Good."

This felt very serious suddenly. Not jaunting happily around, bumping from planet to moon without much of a care. And Loki wondered if Thor had tried to shield him from this in some way, this tension, this nervous wait. How often did things like this happen?

They might have to fight people now. For real, not just scraps. It wasn't so much of a hypothetical anymore.

Loki looked at Thor's back, the evident stiffness there, the nervous hunch of his shoulders, and felt a wave of protectiveness roll through him. If anyone thought they were doing anything to Thor on his watch, they'd best think again.

They landed rather heavily out of town. Thor took a deep breath.

"Right," he said. "Let's go."

They must have been seen coming. They were surrounded by a small army, tightly clipped hair, defensive stances.

"Step away from the ship!" a voice cried out. "Bring the princess into the open."

Thor adopted a relaxed air, strolling forward like nothing was amiss, like no one was pointing weapons at them.

"Evening," he said, smiling, keeping his chest open and exposed. "Sorry about this. Just a little misunderstanding, that's all."

"Are you alright, princess?" one of the figures asked.

"I'm fine," Shuri said, folding her arms, looking furious. "Really, there's no need to-"

Her words were cut off by a loud bang, a bright light being let off nearby, a strange mix of red and green smoke erupting around them.

"He's here!" a man's voice yelled out.

"He's mine!" a woman yelled back.

Loki felt Thor's hands on him, familiar in their size but rough, trying to push him back to the ship, but he couldn't see, he didn't know which way to go.

Behind them - and when had they turned? - he could hear Shuri yelling protests, grunting and clanking. Hands fell on him, trying to pull him in another direction, a grunt and a crunch as he struck out wildly, just trying to be free.

They'd only gone a few steps and yet it seemed an impossible distance to get back, his feet slipping in the mud.

"Come on," Thor said, breathless. "Come on."

A loud bang made his ears ring, the smoke choking him, unsure who was attacking them or why, finally falling forward onto the metal floor of the ship and crawling desperately forwards.

So much for protecting Thor... He'd been a liability more than anything else.

The ship whirred into life, juddering, shaking like a leaf still clinging to a twig in the harshest winter storm, but finally moving.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked, his voice hoarse, strained.

"I... I think so."

He said that. In fact, he felt nauseous, dizzy. The smoke in particular had irritated his throat. But in here, he felt better. He was able to breathe.

They lurched sideways, making him have to hold on tightly.

"Evasive manoeuvres," Thor muttered. "Sorry. I'd rather not get hit. But I know somewhere we can hide. It's close. More or less."

Loki just closed his eyes and tried not to throw up as they whirled through the skies.


	20. Chapter 20

They didn't so much land as crunch. The ship slammed to a halt with a decidedly worrying sound, scraping and creaking. It was like they'd stopped in mid air and just fallen to the ground.

"Are we home?" Loki asked.

"No. A hide-out. I'm worried we might be being followed."

He helped Loki to his feet, evidently concerned by the marks the scuffle and traveling on the floor had left on him. Nothing too serious. Maybe a few bruises, a scratch or two. None of them particularly painful.

"Right. Headlamps..."

Loki found himself wearing one of the bands with a light in it, the garment he'd thought miraculous when he first saw it. His first glimpse at what was now normal.

"It's going to be dark, then?"

"I'm afraid so."

They seemed to have landed through the roof of cave, a ragged hole in vines and mosses above them where they'd torn through it, the ship covered in leaves and roots.

This cave was not a converted one like their home base, but a dark, damp, cold place. There was a distinct sound of running water, a smell of mud and possibly some kind of animal.

Loki found himself shivering, both from the chill and from a little bit of fear catching up to him. Someone had attacked them. They'd been moments away from... Well, he didn't know what.

Thor could tell, it seemed, throwing an arm around him, squeezing him tight, warmth emanating from his body.

"It's just for a night or so," he said.

"We're staying here?"

It didn't seem habitable.

"I have a bedroom here, yes. Well hidden, with food. We can lie low."

Well hidden only barely covered it. As far as Loki was concerned, they headed down a dank side crevasse that looked much the same as all the others they had passed and then suddenly they came into a wider place full of cushions and blankets with metal boxes stacked around the walls.

Thor illuminated the room and clunked some other kind of machine into life, a brief whirring and then silence.

"It'll soon warm up, don't worry," he said.

Loki removed his headlamp, sat on the end cushion and wondered how to ask what he needed to.

"Who were those people? Not T'Challa or his companions, but the others."

Thor opened one of the boxes, producing two drink pouches and settled down next to him with a sigh.

"I... I'm from a place called Asgard. Those were members of our law enforcement. Other Asgardians."

Loki frowned, inserting his straw, pleased to find it was just water rather than the sickly sweet syrups they sometimes drank, which were far more suited as a pudding than refreshment.

"I thought you said you were human," he said. "From Earth."

"I am human. And my ancestors were from Earth. But humans are everywhere now. The great colonisers. My people found a planet and they named it Asgard. It comes from an old Earth religion or something."

He was breathing in sighs. Heavy ones.

"Asgard expects a lot of her citizens. We're an inward-looking society. Insulated. You're expected to give up everything for the motherland. Almost no one is allowed to leave apart from ambassadors and some of high rank. But I... I wanted more. I wanted to see the universe. I wanted to be free. And so I ran away. And, yes, my life is grubby and hard and sometimes boring, but at least I'm free. I go where I want, whenever I want to."

That made sense, but there were still questions in Loki's mind.

"Why do they hunt you so voraciously? Why not simply say you are dead?"

Thor smiled crookedly.

"Well... I have had a habit of flaunting my escape. The higher powers do receive news from the outside and I made a point of ridiculing them. They don't want me dead; they want me humiliated and locked up. They know that freedom is what I crave. That imprisonment is what I would fear most."

Yes... That devil-may-care attitude he cultivated could easily get you into trouble.

"So that's why Shuri knew who you were," Loki said. "You're famous."

"I prefer infamous."

"You would."

Thor laughed and laced his fingers into Loki's hair, going serious, kissing his forehead softly

"We had a scare today," he murmured. "Would you mind holding me for a while? I feel safer with you here. And better for having told you just who we're hiding from."

It wasn't like Loki needed an excuse to curl around Thor's back, enjoying his warmth and bulk. And part of him enjoyed being the caregiver, the comforter. It was nice to feel needed.

It was quiet here, the lights easily dimmed to a gentle glow, heat beginning to flow into Loki's skin and muscles, especially when he pulled a particularly fluffy blanket over them.

He gradually became aware that Thor had fallen asleep in his arms, their hands entwined, his breathing slow and steady, chest rising and falling like waves crashing against a peaceful shore.

Only then did a faint hint of worry begin to enter Loki's head. Or not so much a worry as a query.

Why had Thor been so keen to hide this truth about himself? Loki knew nothing of this world, this Asgard place. Why did he work so hard to conceal it? Did he think Loki would judge him in some way for abandoning his home?

Or was there something else, some other reason that he wasn't yet being told? A crime perhaps or a terrible accident that had meant he had to leave?

He tried not to think on it too much. Despite it all, he trusted Thor. He felt sure that eventually he would know the whole truth. Eventually, Thor would tell him. When he was ready.

He turned the lights out completely and cuddled close, letting the exhaustion of the day take him, the stress and fear trickling out of him like the water rolling down the walls of the outer cave.

Hunger would wake them, no doubt. Not the horrible, aching pain of his childhood, but a far fainter inkling that dinner would be a good idea. A gentler experience all round, a rumbling that would be answered.

Of course, he should have known he was being too optimistic.


	21. Chapter 21

When Loki woke, certain he'd heard a footstep, Thor was already tense beside him, definitely awake in the total darkness.

He didn't say anything, just gripped Loki's hand in silent reassurance. They sat there, listening as the sound grew louder and louder, closer and closer, faint splashing and grit crunching.

One person's steps, not very loud. Careful and deliberate, like the sailors Loki used to occasionally glimpse marching around their ships in the docks. Military, perhaps.

Light swung by the end of their corridor, but then moved on. Loki could hardly breathe. He felt very small, very unsafe. They were being hunted, and not in a general sense but very viscerally, like vermin. He felt sure that if he so much as blinked, they would be discovered.

The footsteps began to die away, heading away from them, and Thor moved, quick and agile and quiet, seizing Loki's head to whisper directly into his ear.

"Back to the ship. Quick and quiet. Move from cover to cover and hide if necessary. Do you understand?"

Loki nodded, letting him feel the motion, and found himself pulled into a harsh kiss before Thor began slinking his way down the narrow corridor.

It was so dark... No sunlight down here, no torches either. Loki felt his way along the wall, trying to follow Thor's near silent paces and trying not to think about what he was touching as slimy algaes and strange lichens tickled his hands.

Was that light at the end of this tunnel? Was it outside? He could see Thor's silhouette now, the way he was hunched and moving quickly, a long way ahead of him.

Something hit the back of his neck, cold and sharp. At first he thought a drip of water had caught him, but when he reached back, his fingers found something like a metal splinter.

And then everything was pain.

Bright lights seemed to flash in front of his eyes, every muscle in him convulsing, leaving him sprawled onto the horrible, wet floor, glad he landed on moss and not rock. Or he would be, once the agony subsided.

Distantly, he heard Thor roar, heard the splashes of his feet coming back, trying to drag him along, ducking what sounded like gunfire.

Smoke erupted around them, stinging Loki's nose and throat, closing his eyes against flashes of bright light, almost managing to get control of his legs to stumble forward.

He could see it. He could see the ship...

Something jerked him back, somehow grabbing his whole being, like a shepherd yanking back a wayward lamb, his body flying through the air. He felt Thor's hand slip from his, heard his cry of despair, a horrible, horrible fear enveloping him.

_Don't leave me... Please, don't leave me._

The next thing he knew, he was waking on a hard, cold metal floor. Golden, he thought. But that didn't make sense... This wasn't the ship. Who made a floor out of gold?

"He should be coming round now."

That voice was strangely familiar. He'd heard it before somewhere.

Oh, his head hurt. His legs hurt. Everything hurt, more or less. He managed to curl himself into a ball, hoping to avoid any further pain.

Heavy footsteps approached, the sound of clanking metal sharp against Loki's ears.

"So...this is the companion, is it?"

A man's voice. The same accent as Thor, but older. Harsher. Gravelly almost.

"It is, your Majesty."

Oh, now he remembered... That was the woman from Bijmu. The one with the silver marks upon her face, the one who had backed off when Thor pretended to threaten Shuri.

"And my son?" the man asked.

"Escaped in the confusion, my lord."

Loki frowned at the floor. His son? This man was Thor's father?

He tried to look around, but everything seemed much too bright to his eyes. Like trying to look into the sun.

"I see."

That tone did not bode well, for anyone.

The footsteps came closer and some of the brightness lowered, far enough for Loki to dare opening his eyes.

An old man looked down at him, dressed like some kind of knight. He had an eye-patch, a spear, carved armour. His mouth was twisted in appraisal, weighing Loki up and probably finding him wanting.

"Where is Prince Thor?" he asked.

Loki opened his mouth, but could only find laughter.


	22. Chapter 22

Prince Thor?! Oh, that was hilarious.

A runaway prince, hiding with him in a cave, digging through refuse heaps for scraps to live off, picking up a farm boy...

"He slept in my barn with me," Loki said, knowing how ridiculous it sounded.

"Where is he now?" the man - the king? - demanded.

Loki tried to shrug, but it hurt quite a lot. Everything hurt actually.

"Don't know."

The man narrowed his eyes at him, turning away in a flurry of capes and a clunk of armour.

"Have him put in a guest suite," he said. "He's clearly not yet recovered. Perhaps we will get more sense out of him later."

"Not the dungeon, your Majesty?" the woman asked.

"No. But have some extra guards stationed there. I fear my foolish boy may try to rescue his new friend and that would be the first place he'd look. Besides, I want him kept comfortable."

Well... Maybe that was a relief. At least he'd hopefully get to lie on something softer.

The ground shook under his face, raising him up and shunting him forward. Like being on one of the carts they used to push finished cloth around the mill yard.

Funny how he'd always wanted to ride in them as a child...

He was steered through corridors seemingly by invisible hands, passing huge cathedral-like columns and shining gold walls, catching glimpses of blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Quite beautiful really. But then he supposed this was a palace, wasn't it? It ought to be opulent.

The platform tipped suddenly, alarmingly, making him cling to it as best he could before being unceremoniously dumped onto a bed. Or he assumed that was what it was. It was certainly very soft. And he was left alone.

He wasn't even tired really; everything just ached. He found himself gradually regaining some strength, the dizziness spinning through his head subsiding a little until eventually he felt able to sit up and take stock of his surroundings.

Well, this was certainly a handsome room. And he could see marks of Thor's culture that he had transferred to his own spaces - hanging cloth decorated the bedframe, thick rugs upon the floor. But beyond that, it felt strangely cold. Stone and metal. It felt much more like a throwback to some bygone era than the magical technology he had seen everywhere else. There was a privy in a sort of cupboard, thankfully fairly hygienic seeming.

And there was a door.

He wasn't stupid enough to try running away. He had no ship, and even if he did, he had absolutely no idea how to even begin getting back to Thor.

But he was curious enough to try opening it, just to see what happened.

Two spears blocked his path immediately, held by two very broad men. He was definitely a prisoner here.

Very well. He retreated, closing the door and wondering just how long he was going to have to wait before they interrogated him again.

The word 'torture' bubbled up in his mind unbidden. Was that something he was going to have to fear? They were treating him well so far, but he wasn't exactly going to forget the bite of the weapon that had incapacitated him any time soon.

Of course, all this was a distraction from the little voice in his head that was whining like a sad puppy. Thor had left him.

And, yes, he'd fought hard to protect him and it made no sense for both of them to end up captured if that could be avoided, but at the same time, part of him felt a little abandoned.

Then again, what kind of partner would he be if he stumbled at this first hurdle? No doubt even now, Thor was working to free him.

Hopefully, anyway...

There had been a lot of talk about faith between them. He had to draw on that now.

And try not to despair too much in the meantime.


	23. Chapter 23

It seemed like hours before anyone came for him. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. He couldn't tell time here, for all that there was a window. The shadows didn't move much.

He'd been pacing, restless, desperate for something to do beyond waiting, to the point that the door opening was something of a relief as well as a horror.

He expected the king again or maybe one of his guards or perhaps the woman who had captured him, but it was none of them. Instead two other women entered; one light like Thor, the other with black hair much more like his own.

They seemed to be observing him at first. Like he was an interesting curio, some new good being weighed for sale. Loki stared back, noting that they too wore armour, that they had capes. The woman who captured him had not worn one, or he didn't think she did. Perhaps it was a signal of rank.

"Does he speak?" the dark-haired one asked, the younger of the two he thought, her voice cold and detached.

"Yes," Loki said. "He does."

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I understand you have recently been in the company of my son, Prince Thor," the elder woman said, much softer and kinder, though her eyes betrayed a quickness that made Loki wary.

"Correct," he said. "Or at least a man called Thor. He did not mention being a prince."

"And do you know where he is now?"

"No."

"You have been seen with him several times over the past month or so. You must know where he was living."

"I know neither its name, nor how to find it."

He wasn't even lying.

"This is a waste of time," the younger one said - so bold in front of her queen too. "He's no one. We would be better seeking answers from Wakanda."

"Princess Shuri is quite adamant that she will not betray him. I will not risk your father threatening war to try to bully her."

Father? So this imposing woman was Thor's sister. Loki couldn't see much likeness there. Maybe something in the cheekbones...

"She knows the recent location of a fugitive. It is an act of true bad faith not to tell us where he is. The longer we wait, the longer he has to get away. Again."

Feeling a little bold, Loki raised his hand in question.

"Can someone tell me what exactly he did?" he asked. "Why do you want him back so badly if he doesn't want to be here?"

They both stared at him as though he'd asked why they were breathing.

"As a prince of the realm, Thor owes certain duties to Asgard."

"Such as?"

"Such as things that don't concern you!" the princess snapped.

Thor's mother had a more calculating look on her face. Seeing something in him, though he didn't know what. He wasn't sure he liked it much either.

"What is your name?" she asked.

Should he tell her? Perhaps Shuri's brother already had.

"Loki."

"Of?"

He frowned in confusion, getting a kind smile that seemed very weighted, rehearsed almost.

"I am Queen Frigga of Asgard. This is my step-daughter, Hela of Asgard. And you are Loki of... Where, exactly?"

"England," he tried. "Or Earth, I suppose."

A little half bow, Frigga's eyes now bright with interest.

"Well, Loki of England or Earth, you must be hungry. You'll dine with us tonight. I'll have some suitable clothes brought."

"Is that truly wise?" Hela asked. "To ask a hardened criminal to dinner?"

"Oh," Frigga said, looking him right in the eye. "I'm sure he's nothing of the sort."

Loki was left alone again and thoroughly uneasy. It was like having his very soul examined and found... Well, he didn't know what. Things were happening here that he did not understand.

Thor a prince... And duties owed to his realm. Surely he could abdicate or similar? Rank could be given up, he thought. What could be so important that they needed to keep him?

He flopped back on the bed, resigned to simply waiting to be taken somewhere else. He could do nothing from inside this room.

But over food, if they were so determined to treat him as a guest, perhaps he could try to find out more.


	24. Chapter 24

If Loki had thought Thor's choice in clothes left a lot to be desired, they had nothing on his people's idea of fashion. So many buckles and so much leather... It felt restrictive, so far from the breathable fabric he had become accustomed to.

Some of it was even made of metal. This was going to chafe horribly, he could feel it.

He was escorted under armed guard to a large feasting hall, alive with chatter and the clatter of plates and cups. It reminded him a little of eating in the orphanage, or rather of how the residents might have preferred it to be, full of friendly talking and laughter.

Thor's family were clearly treating him as an honoured guest. Why, he had no idea. So he might persuade Thor to come home? So he might talk of what he knew?

But he didn't know anything. Thor had made sure of that. Like he had foreseen this risk.

Had he done it to protect Loki or himself? Or both maybe?

There was a fanfare, a silence falling, Thor's father standing up and spreading his hands wide.

"My people, please welcome our esteemed company, Loki of Midgard. A dear friend of Prince Thor, aiding his work away from the realm."

Cheering and applause rang out, a polite welcome. But Midgard? What was that? What did that mean?

"I'm from Earth," Loki said casually as he sat down.

"Yes. Midgard."

Hmm. Well, that told him nothing. Maybe it was something his translator couldn't pick up for some reason.

"You're lying to these people," Loki said, practically jumping out of his skin when food was delivered over his shoulder by a silent servant. "Thor is a fugitive. He is not away on any kind of... diplomatic business."

"What exactly has he told you about us?" Frigga asked. Her tone was kind, but he still didn't trust her.

"Not a great deal. He said you were inward-looking. That was about all."

"We look after our own," Hela said.

"Then why not simply let him go? Let him abdicate or what you will. Or tell the people he is dead perhaps. There are lots of options, surely."

They laughed at him.

"Already, other realms wish to interfere in our affairs," Thor's father rumbled. "I will not have that stupid boy helping them. He ought to be here, with his family."

No love lost there, it seemed.

"Thor simply wishes to be free," Loki said. "That's all. He does not even use his title. He is no threat."

"Unless he suddenly decides he does want Asgard after all and raises an army," Hela said darkly.

Right. Well. Evidently, these people were delusional. There seemed to be little purpose in trying to talk sense to them. He ought to focus on working out how to free himself, how to get back to the moon by the green planet or even Shuri's home would do.

"Tell us about yourself, Loki," Frigga said. "How did you meet Thor?"

Was this a test? He needed to tread carefully. Somehow he had the distinct feeling that she would be the one to catch him out, to trick him.

Right. No complex lies to remember later. Just omitted truths.

"He crash landed near my home."

"And you didn't know who he was?"

"I had absolutely no idea. I helped him because it seemed like the right thing to do and then he invited me to stay with him for a while."

"You must have known he was a criminal, surely. With all the secrecy he maintained."

"He led me to believe he was some kind of political fugitive. That was all I needed to know. I didn't press."

Well, alright, so that wasn't strictly the truth, but it might as well be. He needed them to see him and Thor as a united team. Didn't want them deciding he was disposable or dungeon fodder.

"And who gave you your vaccines?"

Loki had been eating, hungry despite his worries, enjoying the rich stew they had been served, but suddenly found himself dry-mouthed and barely able to swallow.

He didn't want to get Thor's friend Jane into any trouble. She had helped them. But he didn't know what to say to avoid that...

"Depends which ones you mean," he tried. "I've had lots of... them. Dozens."

"Oh, come now. Don't pretend. We had you scanned when you arrived."

"And what did your scan tell you?"

If they knew anything, they would surely say so. Unless this was just a trick. Trying to make him make a mistake.

"It told us that you are a very interesting person indeed. Which is why we'd like to invite you to stay."

That was a funny way to describe holding someone prisoner, Loki thought.

He was going to have to tread extremely carefully.


	25. Chapter 25

There was something very strange about this place and Loki couldn't quite work out what it was. Other than the lies. Those were fairly obviously troubling, he felt.

No, it was more than that. Something about the whole palace. He'd thought of so many other buildings he'd seen as being like cathedrals in their scale, but these ones felt like that in style. Old somehow, all stone and metal. He saw very few of the glass screens that had dominated Thor's home. Did they not use them?

Thor had said something about the news being hidden, hadn't he? Maybe those devices were not allowed for ordinary people. Kept out of sight.

The way he saw it, there were two main points he could try to exploit, but both were fraught with danger. The first was Hela; she seemed like trouble, but she also struck him as impulsive. He'd learned over the years just how much of a weakness that was, not least because it was a trait he sometimes shared.

The other was the woman who had captured him. She lived outside this Asgard place. Yes, her main role seemed to have been to capture Thor, but she had also been enjoying herself, spending her free time on Bijmu. Surely if her task was completed, she'd be expected to return home. Maybe she wouldn't want that. Maybe he could spread seeds of doubt in her mind. Encourage her to see how helping him escape could be advantageous to her lifestyle.

Of course, he wasn't expecting more help to suddenly present itself.

He was taken back to the guest suite after dinner, which hopefully meant he could change back into a more comfortable outfit.

His clothes were still where he'd left them, presumably considered safe enough for him to be trusted with them. He changed into just the shirt, since he didn't seem to have anything else to sleep in.

And then he became aware of a quiet pinging noise.

It was like the tiniest bell in the world. At first he thought it was some kind of scanner, checking he was still in his room. A lot of Thor's gadgets had made similar noises.

Eventually, he came to the conclusion, despite all logic, that the sound was coming from his trousers.

Shuri's communication device, the shell. In all the rush, he'd forgotten to give it back to her.

And now it was pinging at him.

He frowned at it and experimentally pressed the button concealed in its swirl. There was a voice there, but it was very quiet. He had to hold it close to his ear to hear.

"Loki, it's Shuri. I hope this finds you safe. We are yet to receive proof of life from Asgard. If you can, contact me. Only if it is safe. It might take some time, but we're going to have you freed, I promise."

Hmm. Could the guards hear him? The door was thick. They did not appear to have heard the pinging.

Maybe if he stayed close to the other side of the room and kept his voice down? Or hid in the privy?

It was worth a try. And if nothing else, they'd know he was indeed alive and eager for rescue.

He held the button and waited for the slight vibration beneath his fingertip that signalled a connection.

"Hello, Shuri," he murmured. "I am alive. So far, they are treating me very well. I'm being held in a proper room, not a dungeon. Do you have news of Thor? Is he with you?"

No reply. But she had been able to leave him a message so maybe it would store his voice for her in turn.

And with nothing much else to do, he decided to go to sleep in the bed, letting down some hangings to create a smaller room within the room almost, hiding the shell beneath the pillow.

It felt very cold. The realisation of why stole over him slowly but then settled in his heart, solid and painful, like something stuck in there.

It was because Thor wasn't lying next to him.

Falling asleep took a long time. He'd had that rest in Thor's second cave, he supposed. And then he'd been unconscious for a while. Maybe it wasn't too surprising that he wasn't overly tired.

On the other hand, maybe it was the fact that he was hyper aware of noises. Every time he moved, he mistook the rustling for the shell vibrating.

Was it night-time where Shuri lived? Was she asleep? He couldn't quite understand how time operated from planet to planet. Sometimes they landed in the middle of the day, sometimes at night. Some worlds seemed to have multiple days in very quick succession, cycling from dawn to dusk in mere hours, bright little flowers opening and closing in response like fluttering eyelashes.

And besides, she may have been placed under some kind of house arrest for all he knew. Punishment for being so reckless, disguised as protection.

He lay staring at the awning of the bed and tried not to worry about Thor, or whether he would manage to infiltrate the palace. It had been his home, once, after all.

It was a lot harder not to worry about what Frigga had said about him. So vague and yet so worrisome.

They were forming plans that he couldn't even begin to fathom.

And whatever they were, he rather suspected they wouldn't be good for him or for Thor.

The next morning, he secured the shell around his neck and hid it beneath the leather outfit. Hopefully this way it wouldn't be discovered.

And then he waited to be summoned.


	26. Chapter 26

For an inward-looking people, they seemed very warlike, these Asgardians.

Frigga had come to fetch him, to take him on a tour of the palace, apparently. He was a little surprised that she dispensed with the guards, but then again, by the looks of things, he'd have to be a real fool to attack her or try to escape.

He wouldn't make it further than about five feet before someone took him down, even if he somehow knew which way to run.

Maybe it was deliberate that she took him to see drills and sparring, rows of people striking forward with staffs in perfect unity, both men and women. And Hela was there, seemingly in charge of the whole thing.

"What are you training for?" Loki asked in a moment of boldness.

"In case we need to fight," Frigga replied calmly.

"No offence meant, but I doubt these sticks would do well against other weapons I have seen."

They had taken his bright light machine while he was unconscious, recognising it as something he shouldn't have. It made the shell all the more special. If they had searched him well, then clearly they didn't suspect it to be anything other than a decoration.

"Do not be deceived. The tips are fitted with disruptors, electronic magnetic pulses and concentrated infrared."

Presumably he was meant to be impressed, but Loki focussed on hiding his ignorance.

"Why are you showing me this?" he asked.

She sighed softly.

"I'm showing you that this is a safe place. The whole purpose of Asgard is to look after our people."

"By lying to them."

"I doubt you are really in a position to talk about lying."

Too close. Step back. Tread carefully.

"What exactly do you want with me? I'm just bait to lure Thor back, right? Why show me around? Why not just leave me locked up?"

Her eyes sparkled a little, something close to tears in them, but not quite. And even then, they seemed... forced. False.

"I truly believe Thor cares for you. I would want you both to be happy here."

She seemed to be under the misapprehension that they would stay. Did she really know her son so little? Thor would not want to be tied down. He wanted to be out there, learning and experiencing and, yes, living a hard life but being free to follow his own whims within his means.

Wasn't that essentially what most people wanted? To be able to make their own choices?

Loki felt he'd spent his whole life trying to do that. Born into servitude to the mill, managing to find a way out, ending up toiling with no prospects. He'd chosen to run out in the night and chase a falling star, he'd chosen to come here with Thor.

And a cage, no matter how gilded and beautiful, did not appeal.

"What exactly are Thor's duties here?" he asked, watching Hela fell a burly soldier without much effort but with what seemed like unnecessary roughness.

Frigga didn't tell him. She told him something else instead.

"He was previously granted special permissions to leave the realm in an ambassadorial role. However, I fear he was lead astray by the lifestyles available out there."

Loki tried to parse what she meant. Thor enjoyed the good things in life, certainly. Food, drink, sex, he appreciated all of them, but he wasn't an addict or anything like that. The hedonism was mostly a facade. It was important to portray himself as a good time guy.

"Am I part of that straying?" he asked.

"You are a symptom of it. Living proof of his recklessness, of his rejection of our values."

"Those values being?"

She gestured, a sweeping arm displaying the people before them.

"Discipline," she said. "Striving. Dedication."

There was nothing wrong with what she was saying. Those were good qualities. But that just convinced Loki that she wasn't necessarily telling the full truth.

At another time, he might find this battle of wits fun, but he couldn't deny that he was somewhat at a disadvantage. She had all the power here.

And he was also thinking about the woman who captured him. Yes, she had been diligent in her pursuit, but they had first encountered one another in a bar. Perhaps she too felt the lure of a different life.

"Where is the person who brought me here?" he asked, unable to spot her among the crowd.

"I believe Brunnhilde is visiting friends today. It has been some years since she left Asgard to pursue Thor. She is very late to several appointments. Why? Were you thinking of thanking her?"

He managed not to snort, years of concealing his emotions coming in very useful.

"I merely wished to meet her properly. I was not at my best when I last saw her."

"But you are now?"

"Well, maybe once I bathe. I assume there is provision for that. These clothes do not breathe terribly well."

He was pushing boundaries, testing how far he could go. But he was also hoping that this would afford him some privacy to find out if that faint vibration he'd felt was real or merely his imagination.

He waited politely as a servant arrived and whispered in her ear.

"Very well," she said. "I'll have baths drawn for you. But first, you can meet Heimdall."

Yet another person. Loki wondered if he - or she, or they for that matter - would be a hindrance or an unlikely ally.

He'd been lucky thus far really, but that just made him nervous that it was about to run out.


	27. Chapter 27

Loki had been wondering where all the screens were, but now he'd found them. This Heimdall person was observing what seemed like hundreds of them, images of news broadcasts and of the streets of Asgard, the training drill he had just seen.

How anyone could absorb this much information all at once, Loki had absolutely no idea.

The figure in front of them wore a large gold helmet that was entirely at odds with the technology around them. Loki almost felt like he was the native and they the time-travellers.

"You have a message, Heimdall?" Frigga asked

A slow nod.

"The Wakandan princess, my queen," came a low, deep voice. "She's been speaking out again."

"Show me."

Heimdall's hands moved like lightning, changing the screens so they came together and showed one image - a silver woman, one who gave Loki the shivers, though he couldn't quite figure out why. Her expressions didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Princess Shuri of Wakanda has reiterated her demand for the release of one of the men who kidnapped her earlier this year."

They were showing images of the abduction. So-called abduction. That... That was him in that picture.

It all looked very dramatic. He lobbed the glass as he remembered, but it looked much more violent and determined than he had meant it to. And there was Thor, seizing Shuri by the shoulder, threatening her. It all looked very bad.

And then Shuri appeared herself, seated on a red couch, looking slightly irritated and in full princess attire - a high-necked, shining blouse and with jewels sparkling in her hair.

"I keep telling you, I was not held against my will," she said. "Thor Odinson kindly allowed me to live in his home for a brief working holiday. Asgard has no right to hold Loki. He is of Earth. Wakanda are prepared to offer him asylum."

She wasn't saying anything about Thor, he noticed. And then the screen showed King T'Challa, or so it said. Loki hadn't really got a good look at him before.

"To paraphrase from history," he said, calmly standing at a podium and talking questions. "I can control Shuri or I can run Wakanda; I cannot do both. I would not presume to restrict her even if I were not king. At her personal request, I can confirm we are willing to offer this Loki safe refuge. I cannot comment about the whereabouts or status of Thor Odinson at this time."

That didn't necessarily mean he didn't know. Just that he wasn't saying. Clever. Calculated, even.

The screens returned to showing multiple images again. Message over.

"Why do they care so much about you, Loki?" Frigga asked. "What interest do they have in you?"

Grains of truth. Always grains of truth.

"Shuri stayed with us for a short time. I expect she is concerned for my safety, especially if she has heard the details of my capture."

"Unlikely. She could only have heard those from Thor."

"Well, she could only have heard I had been taken at all from Thor. He's the only one who knew."

"Excellent. Then we are united in our belief that the Wakandans are indeed communicating with my disobedient son."

Loki opened his mouth and then quickly shut it again. Think, think... Yes, Thor must have told them, but that didn't necessarily mean they knew where he was now.

"Perhaps he sent them a message and then vanished," he said. "He would not want to cause them any risk. Of that, I am certain. Your son is a good man. He merely wants his freedom."

He wasn't exactly an expert on parental matters, but surely trying to appeal to her as a mother couldn't hurt.

She turned and began leading him away from Heimdall and his screens.

"The outside world is dangerous," she said. "We want him here, where it is safe."

"The only risks I saw were your mercenaries and bounty hunters."

Her feet were swift, striding through the palace, her shawls and skirts billowing.

"I cannot expect you to understand," she said quietly. "I can only hope to educate you."

Guards arrived seemingly out of nowhere, falling into step just behind them.

"Escort our guest to the baths in Prince Thor's chambers," Frigga said. "And return him to his room afterwards. I shall see if the Valkyrie will be content to see you."

She meant the woman, he assumed. The rest of it was less clear. Valkyrie? What was that? Some kind of rank, perhaps?

Loki found himself frogmarched along, into an even grander corridor than he had previously seen. And yet it seemed old too. Cold stone walls and sconces with flames for lighting.

A key was produced in front of doors decorated with twining brances and vines in metalwork, the lock letting out a horrible sound from years of lack of use.

Loki expected to find rooms covered in a thick layer if dust, but inside was immaculate. It seemed they were keeping it clean somehow. Perhaps there was another entrance somewhere.

Thor's childhood room. It was so different from the dormitories Loki had grown up in. Huge, for one thing, an enormous wooden bed covered in intricate carvings, thick rugs and what seemed to be skins on the floor.

And adjoining it, a washroom, which was completely different to the aesthetics of the rest of the palace. All white and metal, almost like it was in a completely different building.

"Can I have some privacy?" Loki asked. "It's not like I can go anywhere."

That seemed to be permitted. He waited carefully for a few moments, genuinely getting undressed though he had no idea how to operate anything.

No need, it seemed. As soon as he stepped onto the first white tile, a cascade of water fell on him, making him very grateful that he'd got out of the leather first.

At least it was warm...

He was slight concerned that the shell pendant might be damaged, but it seemed intact by the time he got as far from the door as possible, the water following his every step.

He found that he could keep it running while leaning out of the stream, hopefully enough to cover his voice.

No answer when he tried to contact Shuri though. He thanked her for her efforts on his behalf and reiterated his concern for Thor.

And then he decided he might as well wash. And take his time about it.

Standing up like this, he was able to really take stock of how his body had changed since living in this time. He'd always thought of himself as slender, but now he realised it had partially been due to the unreliability of food in his life. He'd been thin, unhealthily so. He had put on a little weight, mostly in lean muscle from helping Thor lift and carry.

He was a lot happier in his body, all things considered. He could find aspects of it that were really quite admirable, if that wasn't too vain.

Asgard had intervened before he and Thor had the chance to do what they wished in a physical sense for the first time. Loki had been looking forward to it with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

Well, if they were going to separate him from Thor, he was going to make them wait.

He sighed gently and took his cock in hand.

At least he still had his imagination.


	28. Chapter 28

Loki did his best to imagine what their life would be like once all this was over. They were still going to be criminals or at least runaways. He knew that; after all, future Thor had needed somewhere to hide when he met his younger self.

Still... He could picture a quieter time, an era of relaxation where Asgard grew less fervent in their pursuit, coming home after a day of adventure and work, settling into soft cushions.

He could summon what Thor's expression would be to his mind's eye, the way his pupils expanded, that warmth, that heat that came into his gaze, like being bathed in sunlight.

It was related to but slightly different to another facs he often wore, a soft one where his lips quirked upwards, his eyes bright. Not a sexual look, but an intimate one all the same, meant only for him.

And Thor would kiss him and touch him, running his hands over his body, always warm and grounding.

Closing his eyes to the white room, Loki did his best to imagine what would happen next. After all, he'd never... done anything like that. He trusted Thor that he would like it, but he didn't know how it would feel to be touched so intimately.

It was easier to imagine Thor spreading his legs for him. Or better yet, to imagine Thor above him, grinning down at him, rolling his hips and moaning openly, without any shame or any concealment...

And that was just it. Even though Thor had hidden his identity, it almost felt like in doing so he had revealed his real self. No title, no past, just him as he really was. And the real him had faith in Loki and cared about him like no one else ever had.

Was it any wonder he liked that feeling?

And he could gain strength from it too, from knowing that Thor would be out there fighting to free him, that he would have his fantasy in reality and more besides.

Right, yes. Fantasy. That was what he was doing. Taking his time, something he hadn't had the luxury of in his youth, but at the same time, he oughtn't make it too obvious. They might suspect him of doing something else, like trying to escape.

Which would be worse? Trying to flee or blatantly being engaged in licentious thoughts about the very man he was supposed to be luring back here?

Either way...

Loki changed his grip slightly, letting his mind run away with him, using all he knew of Thor's pleasured moans to coax and push himself onwards, the sounds, the sight, not to mention the feel, or what he imagined it would be.

To be inside... It must be so warm, warmth that his hand couldn't quite replicate, even with the water's help. Not that the water was a bad thing; it reminded him a little of Thor's mouth for one thing.

He tried to pretend that he was stroking Thor's cock and not his own, that they were pushing towards climax together, that they would reach it at just the same time, Thor throwing his head back and crying out and spilling on his skin and telling him he felt good, that he was beautiful and wanted and loved...

The aftermath was soon rinsed away.

Only then did Loki investigate the bottles held on little shelves around the room, sniffing them and finding himself a little disappointed that they were none of them quite the same as the soap Thor used now.

He chose one that smelled of pine forest, rich and earthy, quickly washing his hair.

And then he discovered there was nothing with which to dry himself. Surely he wasn't supposed to simply allow the air to do it? It would take some time. Perhaps there was a towel concealed in a hidden shelf.

He ought to have known there would be another surprise. In moving to pick up a hairbrush resting out of reach of the water, he deactivated it and suddenly a rush of warm wind blew all around him, making him almost shriek with shock.

It was quite pleasant really, but he would still have appreciated a warning.

Dry and soft-skinned, he got dressed back into the leathers. No amount of cleaning would protect from how badly they clung, but they were all he had.

With some tension released and his mind clearer, maybe finally he was ready to meet the Valkyrie and hopefully get at least some answers.


	29. Chapter 29

The room he was escorted to was unlike any of the others he'd seen. It felt more like Doctor Jane's surgery, all smooth lines and sharp corners.

Which was not to say that it was clean, as such. There was clutter everywhere, dirty dishes, empty bottles, clothes strewn about the place. One side seemed to be a kitchen, the other a kind of sleeping space. It reminded Loki a little of his barn, in a strange way.

And there she was. The woman who had caught him.

She looked different now. No longer an imposing figure in all black armour, but in what he'd come to think of as ordinary clothes, a grey wrap and dark blue trousers, the braids of her hair set loose from their usual tie.

She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, a glass device in her hand, looking up irritably when they entered.

"Ah," she said. "Forgive me if I don't get up. Leave us, will you?"

The guards obeyed her. She had authority as well as all this technology. Loki stood awkwardly, wondering just how to play this.

"Are you planning to sit or is your new outfit too restrictive?" she asked.

He sat on the floor. She evidently didn't entertain often.

"They said you wanted to see me," she said, not looking at him. "Though I can't think why. I don't understand how you think it will help."

He ought to be honest, at least to a point. She seemed the type who could smell lies from thirty feet.

"You've been out there," he said. "Beyond Asgard. Not many other people have. You've seen lots of worlds. Lots of people, lots of places. I just wondered which you prefer, I guess. Here or there. And now I see that you're allowed to have a lot of there in here with you."

He gestured around vaguely. This was far from the almost medieval trappings of the rest of the palace.

"I've worked hard to get to this point."

"Hunting Thor?"

"No. I used to be in the army. I was part of Hela's own division. It's why they trusted me to go after Thor. Because I knew him. I could think like him."

Loki stretched out his legs along the floor, nudging an empty plate to the side.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself when we first met," he said carefully. "On Bijmu."

She finally looked up, eyes narrowing.

"What exactly are you trying to imply?"

"Nothing. Just maybe out there is more fun. If you like that kind of thing. As Thor does."

She seemed a little rattled perhaps, picking at her sleeve.

"Asgard is safe," she said, sounding slightly uncertain. "And the world beyond is full of temptations. I have been... lax perhaps in my lifestyle, but never in my pursuit. I was seeking information. I knew the kinds of premises Thor was likely to frequent in his new life."

She was very, very shifty. Was someone listening to them or something?

"I still don't understand why it is so important to have him back," Loki said. "He does not use his title. He does not use his family name. Why not just let him go?"

She blinked at him. The silver marks around her eyes were gone and he found himself wondering if they were purely decorative or if they served a purpose.

"He really told you nothing?"

"Nothing at all. Said it would be better for me not to know."

"Well. He's right. He should never have brought you here."

"He didn't. You might recall that you shot me and dragged me here against my will while I was unconscious."

She rolled her eyes at him, utterly unperturbed by his tone.

"Not to Asgard. He should never have brought you here from the past. He should have known how dangerous that was, for everyone."

They knew, then. Frigga had said they had scanned him, but it was one thing to wonder if they could tell and another to be told outright. And she wasn't trying to keep it from him either, which he felt boded well for getting further information.

"Why does Queen Frigga think I'm interesting?" he asked. "She isn't exactly forthcoming."

"Who knows?"

Oh, but she did know. Loki was sure of it and he was equally sure that it was to do with him as a person and not just his connection to Thor.

What made him different? The fact he was from the past? But he didn't know why that would be necessarily.

Perhaps it was time to go on the offensive, as it were.

"So what will you do once you've brought him back?" he asked.

She seemed confused. Didn't see what he was getting at.

"Well, once you've brought him back, your job will be finished. You'll have to come back here. And what then? Back to training? Will you get to keep these rooms or what?"

He was trying desperately to imply that maybe bringing Thor in was not, in fact, a good idea. Not in her best interest.

"After all," he said. "I've not seen much of Asgard, but it seems to me that out there has many more interesting things and planets, even if this is a nice place to live. I wouldn't necessarily want to be stuck here."

Maybe it was taking root. Maybe she was beginning to wonder.

Or maybe it wasn't that easy.

"In my experience," she said. "Freedom can be somewhat overrated. And that's what Thor promised you, isn't it? Freedom?"

"He promised me excitement actually."

"Typical Thor. He always was a charmer. Pick up a nobody from nowhere, promise to show them the stars... And then run out on them at the first sign of trouble."

Ah. She was skilled in this kind of fight too, of sowing doubt and worry. She might even be better at it than him. This was dangerous.

"I have faith in him," Loki said.

"You think your dashing prince will come and save you? Face it. He's gone. He never stays with one person for long. Fickle. Quick to love but just as quick to forget."

No. Future Thor had said they were together. So it had to be so.

Unless... Unless that Thor had not been from their future. Loki had been reading about quantum before he was captured, about other universes. What if that Thor had found a way to cross over? What if he was from a different future, not the one they were heading towards?

Try as he might, the worry was in his gut now.

"It would be better for you to say what you know," Brunnhilde said. "Frigga is kind. She will let you be together if you just tell us where he is."

Oh, Thor had been cunning. He didn't know where he was. He really didn't know.

And besides. Thor was coming. He was.

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to," Loki said.

She stood up, strolling past him to press a panel on the wall.

"I can't help you if you don't help me," she said. "So I suppose you'd better run along."

His two guards appeared once more, impassive as ever. Why did they not tell people of the luxury and technology of the higher ups?

Maybe they enjoyed it too. Maybe their rooms were like this one.

"Do let me know if you change your mind," she said, shrugging like she couldn't care less.

"Same to you," Loki replied, leaving with only yet more questions about what exactly Frigga had in mind for him.


	30. Chapter 30

Loki realised over dinner - more hearty food; the richness was starting to be a little overwhelming - that he had not seen Odin very much. He was not at the table this evening, for one thing.

"Where is your husband?" Loki asked, eschewing ale for the strangely tangy water they drank here. "Does my presence offend him so badly that he is avoiding me?"

"Not at all. He is merely replenishing," Frigga said calmly.

What in the world did that mean?

"He's taking a nap, then?"

"He is resting, yes."

That didn't seem right somehow. It seemed questionable. Like Odin was secretly ill or something. Given the rest of the lies throughout the kingdom, Loki wouldn't be surprised.

No one seemed concerned. Perhaps it happened a lot. He had seemed quite old, now Loki thought about it.

He let them talk through him. He didn't understand much. Talk of training, of food production, land use. Hela had a strange way about her that Loki couldn't quite put his finger on. No matter how benign the words she said, her tone always made her seem to be considering imminent violence.

"I really don't think it will work, you know," she said out of nowhere. "It's later. Probably too late."

Loki's ears pricked up a little. She was gesturing at him. This was about him.

"Well, we can try in the morning," Frigga said. "It is worth a try. But do keep your mouth shut, dear. It is unbecoming."

A slight tightness came into Hela's jaw, which was incredible given how tense she always seemed to be. Interesting. She didn't agree with her step-mother's course of action.

"I'm sure I'd be fascinated by what you have to say, Princess Hela," Loki said, getting a glare in return.

"I still don't understand why he gets to eat with us," she said.

"Thor's friend is our guest," Frigga said.

"And when you find out he's not of any use? What then?"

There was an awkward pause, Frigga slicing deftly through her steak, leaving red streaks upon her plate.

"Hold your tongue, dear."

She wasn't the only one. Loki was very carefully not pressing for more information. Not just yet.

A purpose they felt he could have for them? Beyond getting Thor back, he had no idea what that might be. And yet it seemed distinctly separate. Unrelated.

And something was too late? Too late for what?

Worry settled deep in his stomach as he was escorted back to his room. Something was going to happen tomorrow and somehow he couldn't imagine it was going to be anything good.

He had to talk to Shuri, but there was nothing from the shell. Maybe it was broken? Or maybe she was unable to risk talking to him for some reason.

The whole day had felt even stranger than usual, everyone knowing something and telling him nothing. The Valkyrie, Frigga and Hela, even that Heimdall fellow.

In fact, he seemed to know everything. Could he be behind the shell's sudden silence? Could he be intercepting the messages somehow?

Surely if he was, he'd have said something when they met? Or maybe Shuri had figured that out and that was why he was alone here without contact, awaiting his fate.

It was very difficult to sleep and as such, having finally drifted off, he was still in bed when they came for him, awkwardly sitting up and trying to hide his bare legs.

"Dress quickly," Frigga said. She was alone apart from guards, seeming excited or maybe agitated or both perhaps.

His heart was hammering in his chest, real fear in his whole body as he followed her down the corridor to a shadowy room.

As his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he realised it was full of books. More than he'd ever seen before.

"This is one of the rarest texts we have," Frigga said with a degree of reverence in her voice. "No copies exist. Written by an ancestor. Thor's ancestor. We have never been able to decipher it."

There was something on a table. A sort of pamphlet by the looks of it, one page with a torn edge, a chair in front of it.

"Sit," she said. "Read it."

Well, he hadn't been expecting that.

He did try. He sat down and looked at it, but the characters meant absolutely nothing to him. They kept shifting, squirming about. Like they were deliberately refusing to be read.

"I can't," he said. "Moving letters like this are strange to me."

"Moving?" she said. "Like they can't decide what letters they are?"

"Exactly like that. Is that meant to be happening?"

She was leaning over him, close enough that he could smell her perfume, see her veins through her pale skin.

And then she deftly removed his translation necklace, making him feel abruptly naked and panicked.

"No," he said, trying to snatch it back. "No, no, I need that or you won't be able to understand me."

The idea terrified him, being left alone and all but mute, unable to be understood in this foreign place.

She tapped the page in front of him. The message was clear. Read and you might just get it back.

Loki tried to stay calm. The letters had stopped moving. They had become steady.

But they were also not forming any words he recognised yet.


	31. Chapter 31

"This is not English," Loki insisted.

Frigga just shook her head. She didn't understand him. Her device did not have the upgrades that his and Thor's did to include speech from his era.

His neck felt very exposed without the necklace, raw almost, making him rub at it compulsively.

Right. Right. The only way he was going to get out of this was if he managed to read the text, but the more he looked at it, the less it looked like Latin letters even...

There were numbers, though. Numbers written backwards. They weren't obvious; a figure three looked like a strange E, a six like a slanted small D. Could it be that simple?

Loki frowned and looked around for something reflective. Anything. Just to test his theory.

Part of his outfit was made of a gold-like metal, part of what held the jacket together and maintained his dignity. He unhooked it, polishing it against his sleeve, just to try...

He couldn't make most of it out, but in the reflection there were actual letters, words even.

_...interpreted incorrectly..._  
_...false..._  
_...listening to common..._

"It's backwards," he said. "I need a mirror. A proper mirror."

Of course. No speaking. He nodded and pointed, trying to convey that he thought he might have cracked it.

Tentatively, she gave him back his translation device, letting him snap it back into place and plug it back into his head, the strange feeling giving him an odd sense of dizziness for just a second. The letters on the page became strange and shifting again, but the ones in the reflection remained stable.

"Do you see it?" he asked. "It's reversed."

Frigga seemed stunned, shaking her head.

"It's so simple," she said. "I've always said that we rely too much on these machines. They can be exploited to work against us. To trick us so easily."

She picked up the document, holding it out like a holy object. Loki hesitated before speaking out.

"Can't I read what it says?" he asked. "I was going to anyway. Besides, I probably won't understand it."

She wasn't listening, passing out of a side door with a press of her palm.

Loki sat alone for a few moments before trying to follow her. Unsurprisingly, the door merely buzzed reproachfully at him. No access. No way out.

All alone with nothing but books... This was practically a childhood dream come true, just with added imprisonment.

He wandered the imposing shelves, squinting at the titles, trying to balance his desire to find out something about his captors with not managing to get himself into trouble.

Maybe a little light history? If it was official, surely there wouldn't be too many secrets, as such.

The sound of the book he'd chosen settling on the table echoed around the room, dust flying out from its ancient pages. It didn't take much reading before he was confused though.

For one thing, it said that these people were not human. It said they were something else, some kind of later adaptation. But Thor had said, hadn't he? Was this another lie or half-truth? Was Thor twisting reality or were they?

They certainly seemed human. He hadn't seen anything to convince them otherwise.

Unfortunately, his wondering was interrupted by Odin bursting into the room.

He looked awful. Truly terrible. He had a pallor like nothing Loki had ever seen except on the dead, grey almost, a large vein pulsing at his temple. It looked like he had been in bed, dressed as he was in a white nightshirt, the sleeves flying up as he waved his arms revealing horrible bruises.

"You," he barked, pointing with a shaking finger. "How did you know?"

Loki was baffled.

"I don't know anything," he said, feeling that it was very true.

"How did you know how to read it? Did Thor tell you? Has he seen this treasonous tract?"

"He mentioned nothing to me. I just worked it out."

"Just worked it..." Odin spluttered. "Just worked... I ought to have you executed."

"There's no need for that," Frigga said, calmly walking through the door behind him. "We had a question and it was answered. There is nothing more that needs to happen."

"Nothing?" Odin demanded. "Nothing? With this much risk to our authority? Our very way of life?"

"This is the very reason we keep our business to ourselves. There is no reason to worry."

It seemed that Odin disagreed, flopping into a chair as though he couldn't hold himself up anymore.

"Hela can never know of this," he croaked. "If she so much as suspected... Her mother..."

"She will not find out," Frigga said firmly. "Nothing will change. We will simply file it away again as unreadable. Of no consequence."

"And if it is correct? If we are wrong?"

She frowned at him, confused. And then she summoned a guard to escort Loki back to his room.

"Thank you," she said as he was led away. "You've been very useful."

Loki only wished he knew what exactly he had helped them uncover.

He was left alone and, it seemed, more or less forgotten. Food arrived and the plate was taken away again some time later. They brought him water. And they left him.

Well. Alright.

He sent another message to Shuri, or tried to anyway.

"I'm not sure if you're hearing this," he said. "I'm worried that these messages aren't getting out. They made me try to read something today and... Well, I don't know what it said, but it's shaken them. And they seem to think Thor knows about it but I don't see how he could. I hope things are going well and that you can talk to me soon."

He still wasn't used to this talking to people who weren't there. Like dictating a letter. Thor did it all the time, but it was still strange.

He went to bed, given he had nothing else to do, but found himself woken very soon afterwards by Heimdall, of all people, the door banging open.

"You are summoned," he said.

"What?" Loki mumbled, feeling he must be dreaming.

"The Wakandan princess is here."


	32. Chapter 32

Shuri looked completely calm and relaxed in the great hall, one hip dropped, hands casually clasped in front of her.

"Oh, good," she said as Loki came into view. "You are alive. Nice outfit by the way."

Hela was prowling back and forth like a caged beast, agitated and tense, almost trembling with rage. Her hair was loose and tangled, also roused from sleep, it seemed.

"Entering our realm is an act of war," she said, her voice ringing back from the other end of the room.

That did not exactly have the effect she undoubtedly hoped it would. Shuri was impassive, unimpressed.

"You are holding a man prisoner on no charge," she said. "That is against galactic law."

"He is a person of interest as regards the whereabouts of my brother. As are you, I might add."

Shuri pretended to be shocked, laying a hand over her heart.

"Me? I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Hela pointed at Loki with a jab of a claw-like finger.

"He knows nothing, but you do not. You could very easily track Thor down and you show contempt for Asgard by refusing."

"Asgard refuses aid and communication from other realms. What is the word you use? Interference?"

Shuri was much better at this game than Hela was. She was much more steady for one thing, more dignified. Hopefully several steps ahead.

"I could have you arrested..."

"No, you couldn't. The fuss wouldn't be worth it and besides, your mother wouldn't allow it."

"My mother is dead and Frigga holds no authority over me. You have your proof of life, now leave. But know that we will find Thor, no matter how well you might believe you have hidden him."

"He does not need my help to hide from you."

She strode forward without apparent concern, gently nudging away a spear pointed at her by one of Hela's guards with the tip of one finger.

"I wish to check your prisoner's well-being from a little closer, if I may."

Hela did not like this, but she clearly knew this was troublesome territory, staying the warrior's hand. Loki was a little lost, unsure what exactly was happening. Surely she wouldn't just try to take him? They'd never get out unscathed.

He found one of his hands clasped in both of Shuri's, a real look of sincerity on her face.

"We will keep fighting for you," she said urgently. "You have my word."

"Alright, that's enough," Hela snapped. "Return him to his room."

Loki was strangely happy to go. She clearly hadn't noticed that Shuri had stealthily slipped something into his palm. A piece of paper, it felt like.

A message perhaps?

His heart was fluttering in his chest as he carefully put it on his pillow, a tiny folded square, hurriedly undressing and hiding behind his curtains to read it by a sliver of moonlight.

_Loki,_

_If you are reading this then Shuri has seen you and you appear well. Stay strong, sweetheart. I'm coming for you._

_The watcher, Heimdall, is a friend. He will help us. Do not trust my sister. My mother is tricky and Father has a habit of acting without thinking it through._

_I doubt they will harm you, but be wary. There are things I have not yet told you as I believed they would never be relevant. I'm sorry. I still hope they won't be._

_With all my love, Thor_

_P.S. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to destroy this message but I will anyway. I love you. T_

Finally, word from Thor! Warm words of reassurance and comfort. Exactly what he'd been hoping for.

Part of Loki didn't want to destroy it. He wanted to sit and stare at those words and wonder at them some more.

Thor loved him. And, yes, he knew that, he'd known that for some time. But it was one thing to know and another thing to read it in messy handwriting.

But he couldn't risk hiding it in case it was discovered and anyway his leathers didn't have pockets. If it was found, Shuri could be in serious trouble.

Unclear of other options, he ate it, taking Thor's words into his body as they filled his heart too. Thor loved him and he and Shuri were preparing to rescue him.

It was good to try to focus on that part and not the fact that there were still things he didn't know, that were being kept from him. He was also now wondering if that had something to do with whatever he had helped Frigga to read. The thing Odin was so frightened of.

And Heimdall was a friend, was he? Loki wasn't entirely convinced. He hadn't seemed terribly friendly. And besides, he could only leave the room when one of the royal family came for him, so it wasn't as though they could meet...

Except Heimdall had come for him this night, on Hela's orders. He was trusted to move around the palace freely.

Maybe that was how Thor intended to get him out. Have him move in plain sight but with none of the guards daring to question it.

He sincerely hoped Thor had judged his character well, if that was the case.

Still, such worries paled in comparison to his faith that he would soon regain his liberty and be back by Thor's side.

He tried to ignore the suspicion that it couldn't possibly be as simple as that.


	33. Chapter 33

For a palace in space, things really were _unbelievably_ boring after a few hours.

Of course, that was mainly because there was absolutely nothing for Loki to occupy his mind with, not even the most mundane task. What he'd give for a field of ripe turnips now... At least there would be fresh air and something - anything - to do.

Eventually he grew bold. Thor thought he wasn't in danger and he wasn't about to really test that, but all the same, the guards would not strike him dead just for popping his head out.

They might even have been napping. Standing staring straight ahead was probably just as boring as being stuck in a room all alone.

"Can I have a book, please?" he asked. "Any book. I'm not fussy. Just something to read. Please."

They looked at one another, frowning, but maybe a change of pace for one of them was tempting enough.

"Wait," the more senior seeming one said. Loki didn't bother saying that he didn't exactly have a choice in the matter.

He returned some time later, probably no more than five minutes, though it felt like forever, handing over the very book Loki had started the day before. Presumably, he had taken the first one he saw, lying on the table where they'd left it.

"Thank you," Loki said. "Much obliged."

Resting the weight of the book on his pillow, Loki lay down to read, a habit he'd grown used to since living with Thor, though having to turn actual pages was strangely a little more of a chore. He'd grown used to moving things on with a press of his fingertips.

He skipped ahead from the origins of Asgard. He wasn't totally sure what was written about that was relevant to his current situation, or strictly true even.

No, he wanted to find out more about the current royal family, if possible. Who exactly he was dealing with.

There was a helpful family tree drawn inside the back cover, though it wasn't up to date. Thor was not listed. Hela was, with another name and some numbers that Loki concluded were her mother's birth and death dates.

Odin had seemed quite concerned about her really. There was something about her that Hela was not to learn about at all costs.

How had she died? Did it have anything to do with that?

He flipped back a few pages, looking for the recent past. Any clues they might have noted down.

Some of the pages were blank. Were they supposed to be filled with history? Why had they stopped filling it in, decades ago if it was before Thor was even born?

The last entries were not very clear, including the one he was looking for. It didn't seem to be ink. In pencil perhaps?

_Adelsk, wife of Odin, mother of Hela, died performing royal duties._

Well, that was nice and precise, wasn't it? What kind of duty? Had she been a diplomat or an ambassador or something? Had she been killed away from home? Was that why they were so obsessed with being closed off from other places?

No, it couldn't be. They'd let Thor out. That was how he had discovered the world beyond, how he had escaped. You wouldn't let your children out if you feared for their lives.

No, it must be something else.

He went backwards, past the announcement of Hela's birth, finding a strange note that she was indeed royal. He didn't really understand that. Had there been some kind of question of her parentage?

It would explain why she didn't look like Thor, he supposed.

There really wasn't a great deal of information. It was all very factual. Odin's first marriage, some information about Hela's mother, that she was from a high-ranking family. The words didn't mean much to him. There were odd details about her though. It said she had been tested in some way and found suitable.

Perhaps they were checking she was a virgin? That would seem odd. As far as Loki could tell, most people of this era were far more relaxed about such issues.

Then again, Asgardians did not exactly appear to be like most people a lot of the time.

A few pages later, he would come across something more interesting, something that had him sitting up in surprise.

It was about how Odin had lost his eye. Loki had assumed it was an accident or perhaps a war wound, but it seemed... It seemed to be something else. Something he really couldn't understand.

_Odin, son of Bor, gives eye for Asgard in thanks for the extended peace of his reign._

What on Earth... Or rather, what on Asgard did that mean? Did this mean to say that there had not been a war? It sounded like a... a sacrifice. But it couldn't be; that was barbaric.

And yet he was also thinking of how ill Odin had looked, the marks on his arms... Could there be a link there? Some kind of ritual?

A ritual that had killed Hela's mother?

Or was he beginning to lose his wits from being cooped up in this little room? 

Maybe it had been a medical matter, noted down in a strange way. Pretending he hadn't been ill. Hiding even the vaguest hint of weakness. He could almost imagine that, a false story being noted down to hide even the suggestion of frailty.

That would make sense, wouldn't it? Though it still didn't help him guess what was in the pamphlet that had shaken them so much.

Thor was certainly going to have a lot of curiosity waiting for him.

As long as Loki didn't die of boredom first.


	34. Chapter 34

He was given food. He slept. Every couple of days, he was escorted to the wash room.

And despite having reading material, Loki was bored out of his mind.

He read chapter after chapter of incredibly dry history which seemed to go in through his eyes and out of his brain almost immediately.

Well... Most of it did. Some parts stuck out. The number of times that members of the royal family died "performing their duties". Something they did was evidently deadly. And they seemed to test all children, all spouses for some kind of suitability. He was unclear what exactly that meant.

It talked about sacrifices, made for thanks or for luck. Eyes. Teeth. Fingers...

Surely this had to be relegated to a bygone age. Not now. Surely.

He couldn't deny that visit from Hela was a little surprising. He hadn't seen anyone beyond his guards and the occasional servant in several days.

And she was furious.

"What have you done to them?" she demanded, striding into the room.

Loki blinked at her a few times, glad he wasn't in a compromising position.

"I've barely been allowed out," he said. "I fail to see how I can possibly have done anything to anyone."

She paced from one side of the room to the other and back, only managing about three strides due to the size, agitated and restless.

"Frigga wanted you to read something," she said. "One of those old documents. What was in it?"

Ah... They were acting differently after all, despite that talk of carrying on like normal.

"It was in code. I worked out how to read it but she took it from me before I could. And then your father arrived, ranting and raving about it, claiming Thor had something to do with it, that he'd read it himself. Which I don't think is true. Has this got something to do with the marks on his arms?"

Her hand flew, apparently before she even thought about it, stopping a hair's breadth from his face.

"It is not for the likes of you to speak of that," she spat. "That's private."

He took that as a yes. The paper had said something about the rituals. That it was wrong.

"Tell me how to read it," she demanded.

"I got the distinct impression that they didn't want you to know. Something about someone called Adelsk."

He was playing her and she was falling right into the trap. He'd suspected it might be easy. Inflexible people were often surprisingly easy to sway with the right pressure.

"Tell me," she said. "It is my right."

"If you bring it to me, I can show you."

She narrowed her eyes, clearly mistrustful. But she couldn't harm him. They both knew that. He must be kept in good health and safe.

Gripping his wrist with nails like sharp talons, she shook his hand. A deal.

"It will be difficult for me to get it, but I think I can. And if you are lying to me, I will make your life very, very difficult indeed."

Oh, he didn't doubt that, even as he felt being ripped from the one person he trusted in this strange future world and imprisoning him in this place had already made his life very difficult.

Still, he was making progress. That was something.

It was a tense wait. Would she manage it today? Tomorrow? She was rather impulsive so she was likely to rush into things, right?

He just had to wait and she'd bring the truth right to him.

Maybe he ought to feel a little guilty about going against Odin and Frigga's wishes, but they were the ones hunting Thor, making him live a life of secrecy and fear. He couldn't find much warmth in his heart for them.

Besides, if this concerned Hela's mother's death, surely she did have a right to know.

And Thor did too. This was his family, his land. He ought to know its dark secrets.

The wait seemed interminable, truly endless, and the guards knocking on his door to escort him to shower was a cruel raising of his hopes only to dash them.

Still, he liked the washroom. It was relaxing, for one thing. The warm water, the sound, the smell of the soap. And it was guaranteed privacy. He could spend as long as he liked in there.

He was putting his clothes aside when the water cascade suddenly started behind him, even though he was nowhere near the pressure points to trigger it.

He span round, trying to cover himself, shocked that someone had dared to intrude.

And came to the conclusion that he must be dreaming.


	35. Chapter 35

Thor stood beneath the falling water, naked and utterly unashamed, scraping his hair back as it got wet, smiling a little sheepishly.

"Sorry it took so long," he murmured.

Loki blinked at him and staggered forward, into his arms like he'd never left. This was ridiculous. It couldn't be happening. Clearly they'd finally driven him to the point of seeing things.

And feeling them too. Familiar hands, familiar lips too, burning, desperate kisses.

"How?" he asked in a hushed voice. "How are you here?"

"I told you, Heimdall's a friend. It took a lot of work on one of Shuri's ships, but with his help and some light testing the other night, we managed to make it almost completely undetectable by the usual alarm systems. And he knew you'd be taken here sooner or later. I just had to turn on the camoflage and park outside the window."

"So why are you naked?"

"Well, I figured this would be the best way to distract you from being angry."

Loki laughed. This was ridiculous. Thor was ridiculous.

"I'm not angry," he said. "I knew you'd rescue me. I had faith."

"Wash your hair as we're here and then let's go. We'll be in Wakanda before they even realise you're gone."

It was what he'd dreamt of since first waking up on the gold floor, but Loki somehow found himself hesitating.

"I can't," he said. "I'm supposed to be meeting your sister."

Thor made a face, taking a step back.

"I wouldn't have thought she was your type," he said.

"My type of what?"

"You know. I wouldn't think you were interested in her. Romantically. I'm joking, don't worry."

He'd better be.

"I know it sounds strange," Loki said, fetching his preferred soap bottle. "But I'm close to something. There was a document that couldn't be read and some kind of... I don't know what yet, but whatever it is has really terrified your parents and I've nearly tricked Hela into helping me. I can't go until I find out."

Thor took the bottle, gently turning him by the shoulders, starting to wash his hair with firm, strong fingers. Such casual intimacy. He'd been starved of this.

"What kind of thing? It sounds... serious."

"I think it is."

There was a beat of silence as Loki tried to work out how to put it gently.

"Your family practise... sacrifices, don't they?"

Thor's fingers stopped moving immediately. He grabbed Loki's arms, checking them, turning them back and forth, first one and then the other.

"They didn't," he said urgently. "They wouldn't... What have they done? Have they hurt you?"

"They haven't touched me," Loki said. "But I noticed marks on your father. And I read... I read about his eye. There's something going on here and I want to get to the bottom of it."

Thor sighed, suddenly sounding almost close to tears. Scared maybe. He returned to Loki's hair before he could turn round, stopping him from seeing his face.

"It's alright," Loki said. "I'm just curious. It's not very clear. No one's being very forthcoming."

The silence behind him didn't exactly fill him with confidence. And nor did Thor clearing his throat, awkward and heavy.

"How... How does Asgard seem to you?"

An odd question.

"Extremely strange."

"No, not that. I mean the land itself."

Loki really didn't know what to make of that.

"I haven't been taken outside the palace," he said. "Why?"

"Just... You know. I worry about it sometimes. Since I've been gone."

Uh-uh. No, no, no. He was hiding things. Loki tipped his head, letting the soap run down his back, and turned to face him properly, meeting an expression of fear and unease that made him feel sick. Thor wasn't supposed to look like that. He was supposed to be fearless and carefree.

"What is it?" he asked. "Really. No more secrets."

Thor pressed his lips together, water streaming down his face.

"You'll think very badly of me," he whispered. "I haven't... done my duty."

Again with these euphemisms! What did it mean?

"If the land is suffering, it is my fault. I've been terribly selfish."

"Thor. Speak plainly. Why would the land suffer?"

It was like the translation necklaces weren't working properly, making them speak at complete odds with one another.

"My blood," Thor said. "Asgard needs my blood."

Loki felt like a curtain had been pulled aside. The bruises on Odin's arms, the paleness of his skin, his pale lips. Anaemic. Not enough blood. Because it was being taken from him.

And Hela's mother had died; well, you could easily die from blood loss, couldn't you?

He took Thor's hands, feeling them almost tremble.

"Why does it need your blood?" he asked.

Thor looked at him like that was the strangest question anyone could possibly ask.

"Because I am royal. For those of royal blood, it is our duty to bleed for Asgard. We have done for... forever. It's the secret to our continued legacy; sacrifice, dedication, commitment. A commitment I have broken."

He almost did not seem himself. Like being back here was clouding his mind.

But Loki thought he knew now what the document said. It said that this was a lie. A misunderstanding, a mistake, a metaphor rather than an actual instruction. These sacrifices were not what kept Asgard alive. And they had been causing themselves great harm, killing themselves for a translation error.

He pulled Thor close, trying to snap him out of it.

"You have not harmed anything," he whispered. "Fly round to the room they are keeping me in. It's a guest chamber, down the corridor, two lefts and a right with the window on the right-hand side of the room. I think I'll be able to prove it."

Thor didn't seem sure.

"It's risky," he said. "We should flee before we're caught."

"I know. But if I don't find out the truth, it will haunt me, I think. And it will haunt you, if you believe you have done wrong to your people."

He saw the fight behind Thor's eyes, an eventual nod.

"Besides," Loki added. "We can always find some way to pass the time. As long as we're quiet."

Such an offer didn't have quite the cheering effect he had hoped for.

This was clearly a very serious issue.


	36. Chapter 36

If the guards noticed a change in Loki's demeanor, they weren't showing it. He was a whirlwind of emotions - relief and joy that Thor had come, anxious for trying to hide him, anticipating what would happen when Hela came.

Thor could hide under the bed perhaps. Or in the privy.

It was strange to step into the familiar room and then see Thor at the window, his head and shoulders emerging from nothing. It was stranger still to open it and see him climb in, appearing out of thin air.

"How do people not lose their ships all the time?" Loki asked. "If they're invisible?"

"Oh, it wears off after a while. A couple of hours. As a fail-safe."

That made sense, he supposed. Besides, like most things Thor did, it probably wasn't strictly legal.

Much like the small metal discs he was placing on the wall and door...

"What are those?" Loki whispered.

"Mufflers. Should help prevent us being overheard."

"You don't have some kind of... early warning device to let us know when Hela is coming?"

"Afraid not. I thought it would be a flying visit."

He looked around Loki's prison, apparently not completely unimpressed with it. He probably knew about worse places to be held in the palace.

"So, tell me about what you think you've discovered, then?"

Loki found the right page in the book, proffering it at him, pointing out the death of Hela's mother.

"It was a sacrifice," Thor said, shrugging. "That involves risk."

"But I don't think they're necessary. Your mother had a document she could not read. She thought I could, that it was in some kind of ancient language. But it wasn't. It was written backwards. It confused the translation system, made it illegible."

Thor was looking at him, clearly not convinced.

"How would that work?" he asked. "It shouldn't matter."

A demonstration might make more sense. Loki used the strange jewellery again, reflecting the book in it.

"Look at the letters in the mirror image," he said. "It can't work them out. Don't ask me how; I'm not from around here, I don't understand how it functions."

Thor chuckled lightly, blinking at the strange, wiggling letters in confusion.

"I had no idea they were so easy to trick," he said. "So what did it say?"

"I could only read snippets before your mother took it. And then your father showed up, absolutely furious, said that you must have read it, that Hela could never know... And so now I'm wondering, what if you don't have to bleed? What if Asgard hasn't suffered at all for you leaving? The land itself, I mean. What if it can... stop?"

When he'd discovered Thor was just a man, not an angel, Loki had felt a sense of loss.

He could see that very same feeling in Thor's face as he tried to absorb the idea that a fundamental tenet of his entire life might be wrong. Something he'd believed without question.

"Did you... ever...?" Loki tried.

Thor sighed lightly.

"Yes. But I was young. It was more ceremonial than anything else. A finger prick, a small vessel at most. But I'd watched my father growing weaker and weaker, taking less and less time between sacrifices and I... I wasn't exactly looking forward to my turn."

"Is that why you left?"

"No. I left because I knew there was more out there. I wanted to spend more time away from Asgard, return to sacrifice at regular intervals. But my parents wouldn't agree. And so I ran away and damned the consequences."

He sat on the bed, looking very lost.

"I need you to understand what that means," he said. "I valued myself, my own happiness and pleasure, over the whole of Asgard and its prosperity. Even if it's not true, that is the choice I made. Myself over them."

Loki sat beside him, trying to understand.

"You should have told me," he said.

"No," Thor said, rubbing his eyes. "No, I couldn't. It doesn't go outside of family and extremely trusted servants. Even people who marry into the family don't know until afterwards. After they've been tested. Anyway, besides that, how could I ask you to trust me to look out for both our interests when I'd previously abandoned an entire people?"

Ah. Yes, that was a fairly big issue, he supposed. And clearly Thor had some residual guilt about it.

That wasn't the kind of thing that could just go away overnight.

"If I'm right, then none of your family will ever have to do it again," Loki said. "And there's been no harm done. You haven't done anything."

"It's the intent, though. I didn't wish them ill or anything like that. I just... didn't care about them. Not until I'd grown up a bit. And then it was too late. I couldn't go back or I'd never be free again. They wouldn't let me out of their sight. It felt easier to run and keep on running. I would try to tell myself I was leading a better life, an ordinary life, helping people out there. Anything to help me sleep at night really."

"And pretending everything was fine."

Another sigh, resting his head against Loki's shoulder, looking to him for support.

"Yep. But then so often just staying alive and earning enough to eat got in the way of trying to actively be a good person. To make up for it."

Loki knew he needed to help him, but he couldn't find the words. It was... difficult.

"You did your best," he said quietly, sensing that it wasn't enough. "And if this is true, if there is another way, maybe things will change. Maybe you can... live differently."

"That's a lot of ifs and maybes."

He needed to be snapped out of this. And Loki thought he knew how that might be achieved.

It was maybe slightly more awkward than he'd always imagined, swinging his leg over to straddle Thor, tilting his head up gently.

"You've cared for me," he said softly. "I know you're a good man."

Thor still didn't seem convinced. Maybe kisses would help.

Loki certainly thought they would help his own state of mind. And maybe it took a few tries to get Thor to relax into it, but soon enough, he was kissing back, his hands warm even through Loki's leathers.

Mmm...

"Once all this has blown over," Loki murmured. "Will we go back home and lie together in the sun?"

"Of course. Whatever you want."

"Special?"

"Mm..."

A little change of weight and he was properly in Thor's arms again, lying on top of him, being held and touched. And for a moment, he could almost forget it all, forget where they were and the worries pressing down on them.

It was so simple, but still so exciting to be wanted like this.

"Is this helping?" he murmured, remembering what his supposed aim was.

"You always help," Thor said. "I don't deserve you."

A wave of pride rolled through Loki's whole being, being slightly ruined by the door opening and Hela gasping behind them.

Ah, yes. Hiding tended to work better when you actually made a tiny bit of effort, didn't it?


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little heads up that this chapter contains a little violence.

There was a beat of silence, of shock.

And then they all moved at once.

Hela snatched a knife from her belt, almost from nowhere it seemed, kicking the door shut behind her.

Loki tried to put himself between them, not really thinking, just wanting to protect Thor, feeling that drive to defend what was his.

Thor pulled him back, nudging him towards the window. The ship. Their possible escape. And he started talking.

"Let's all just stay calm," he said. "We're on the same side here. We all want to find out what's going on."

"What's going on is that there is a fugitive in the palace," Hela growled. "And you're going to come quietly, aren't you? We have missed you terribly."

It was obvious what Thor wanted them to make a run for it, but this might be their one chance to tell her the truth and Loki had no intention of letting it slip by without trying to make her understand.

"Do you have the document?" he asked, hands up, moving slowly. "You have to read it in a mirror. The sacrifices are wrong. You don't have to do them, that's why your parents are preventing you from..."

She snarled, chest heaving with rage.

"You're talking about things you don't understand," she said.

"Read it," Loki insisted.

She swung her blade in Thor's direction.

"It is a lie! This is your doing. You and your mother, trying to destroy Asgard from the inside."

"I haven't sacrificed in years and nothing bad has happened," Thor said.

"Because Father and I picked up your slack!"

"No, Hela. It's a mistake. It killed your mother. We don't have to do it."

Her mouth twisted, a look of fear behind her eyes though. Doubt.

"Guards!" she yelled. "Guards!"

"Time to go," Thor said, pushing Loki towards the window. "Just jump. Trust me."

He grappled with Hela, trying to shove her into the door, leaning back from the point of her knife as it flew past his face.

"Loki, go!"

It was terrifying to climb onto the window sill. There was nothing there, just empty air and then his foot hit _something_ and he was able to step onto it. But where was the hatch or the door?

He slammed his hands onto the invisible surface, apparently hitting the right place or giving it enough of a nudge as suddenly it shimmered beneath him, turning silver and solid.

Thor cried out behind him, grunting. Turning round, Loki found two guards in the room, Thor managing to get a kick into Hela's stomach, trying to use her as a barrier to the spears being pointed at him.

Shit... Shit.

A weapon. There had to be a weapon...

Loki swung himself into the ship, a tiny cockpit, nothing there but Thor's coat.

And in his pocket...

The gun fit into his hand, the safety clicking off at his touch. His fingerprints, coded into it.

He popped his head out of the hatch again, meeting Thor's gaze, horrified, being held down, the knife in Hela's hand.

"Go! Run! Shuri will help..."

Loki pointed the gun at his face, hoping he would understand.

Thor closed his eyes.

Loki pulled the trigger, blinded by the bright light.

There were screams. Hela first, then Thor, and then some grunts and scrabbling and Loki felt something wet splash against his face, blinking rapidly, tasting iron, falling back.

The ship lurched into life.

Thor was panting, and there was blood everywhere...

"Your hand!" Loki said, blinking the world back into clarity. "My God, your fingers."

"I know. I know, you'll... You'll have to drive."

The control panel was wet with his blood...

"I can't," Loki said.

"It's easy. Wakanda's co-ordinates are already locked in. Use the sticks to steer, but the autopilot will... Will do most of it."

Loki got into the pilot's chair, trying to ignore his revulsion and fear.

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Thor tug off his shirt, wrapping it around his hand, the awful stumps that had so recently been the two last fingers on his left hand.

"I'll be fine," he said. "Right, see that yellow button? Press that. It's the camoflage. OK... We're OK. That was... That was good thinking."

He was in shock maybe. Loki felt maybe they both were. The smell of blood felt like it was filling his brain...

"Squeeze hard and press forward."

The ship shuddered and shook, feeling deeply unsafe for a while, and then suddenly they burst through the atmosphere into empty space. Loki felt a tension release, feeling he could let go of the controls for a moment and help tend Thor's wound.

She'd cut off his fingers... Her own brother. Blood was drying on Thor's forearm as he let Loki tie the makeshift bandage tighter, trying to stem the bleeding.

"Sorry," he said. "I got some on your face."

Loki shushed him a little, just glad they seemed relatively safe.

"It'll wash. Elevate your hand. Is there anything cold here?"

"There's nothing. It was meant to be in and out."

That made sense, he supposed.

"Wakanda will be able to help though, won't they?"

"I believe they have excellent hospitals, yes. I'll be fine."

Loki wished he could believe that, helping clip Thor in before getting talked through the communication equipment.

"Hello, Wakanda?" he tried, pressing the right combination of buttons "Can you hear me?"

"Loki," Shuri's voice echoed. "Is everything going to plan? Are you out of Asgard?"

"We'll be with you soon. We need some... We'll need medical help."

He was quite glad that she didn't press for details. Saying it out loud would not help with his barely restrained panic.


	38. Chapter 38

It turned out that fear was an excellent cure for motion sickness in Loki's case. Even without his pills, he was able to steer the ship through a wormhole with only minor nausea, letting the ship pull itself back onto course afterwards.

"You'll like this," Thor said, his words edged with a tiny amount of pain. "The palace complex is in ancestral land. On Earth."

Earth... Home. Though given he'd never been out of England, and never beyond two or three counties at that, he doubted he'd recognise much.

It was very beautiful though. Blue and white, swirling together. He couldn't see any shapes of countries that he recognised, but it was difficult through the clouds.

The ship juddered its way through the outer layers of the sky, gravity taking hold and flipping them over in a way that really threatened to defeat Loki's steely stomach, making even Thor groan.

"We're almost there, I think," Loki said.

There was a beep in front of him, a light flashing. He pressed the button beneath it. It seemed to be the right thing to do.

"Can you turn off your camoflage, please?" Shuri said. "We can see you on the system but it's easier to land something you can see. I'll take over remotely if that's alright. I have a stretcher on stand by."

"I can walk," Thor said. "Nothing wrong with my legs. Press the yellow button again."

Loki was grateful that he wasn't the one having to steer them through a narrow tunnel and touch down the ship. He was less grateful for the removal of his one distraction, meaning he had to turn and assess just how bad a state Thor was in.

He was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, but he didn't seem to have lost too much blood. His lips were still pink, still vibrancy in his cheeks. He wasn't going to drop dead.

Hopefully.

His shirt was distinctly reddish-brown though, stained. In Loki's professional opinion, no amount of bleach in the world would get rid of those marks.

Shuri landed them softly, gently, the door hatch opening automatically and stairs folding themselves out.

"Not going on a stretcher," Thor mumbled, letting Loki undo his harness and help him up.

"Humour them," Loki said. "For me."

They were evidently awaited. There was King T'Challa and two men wearing cloth mouth coverings. Medical men.

Shuri came running out of a doorway, dressed much more casually than he'd ever seen her.

"What happened?" she asked, eyes wide. "Did you get caught?"

"My sister happened," Thor said, sitting on the stretcher but apparently refusing to lie down. "Took two of my fingers. It's nothing, I just need a bandage or something..."

"Please don't give Shuri any ideas," T'Challa said, getting a gesture in return that Loki assumed was rude. "And welcome to Wakanda, Mr Laufeyson. I only wish it was under better circumstances."

Thor was wheeled away, anxiety flowing through Loki's veins. He was sure they would take good care of him, but he didn't want to be separated again.

"We have prepared clothes that may be more to your taste," T'Challa said. "And... you might want to wash your face."

Ah, yes. Upon glancing in a mirror over a sink in a small private room, Loki found a spatter of dried blood right across his forehead and cheek, like scales almost.

Magic blood, if Asgard was to be believed. They'd probably be furious to know he was washing it away with a degree of disgust.

The outfit wasn't something he would have chosen, but at least it was comfortable. Stretchy dark fabric, a strange neckline but nothing restrictive.

He handed over the communication shell on his way out.

"I hope she didn't miss your birthday," he said apologetically. "Everything happened so fast..."

"I quite understand," T'Challa said. "I believe Shuri has refined her design in the meantime, however."

He had a distinctive stride, a calm but purposeful pace, a sense of ease and confidence. To Loki's surprise, despite all the risks that were probably about to make themselves known, he felt distinctly secure in his presence.

"Shuri has told me some things about you," he said. "But I would like to confirm one or two. It is true that you are human, from the past?"

"Yes. From 1862. Thor crashed near my home on some kind of accidental jaunt and we... became acquainted."

He might be blushing a little. T'Challa was too polite to show it if he had noticed.

"And you have had vaccinations?"

"Yes. A friend gave them to me."

"Jane Foster?"

Loki was rather surprised.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"She operates in this galaxy from time to time. It's my job to know what our neighbours are up to. And sometimes... Well, let's just say it is better for a king to be able to visit a doctor without rumours of his imminent demise spreading."

Loki didn't fully believe him, but he wasn't going to question it.

"Can I see Thor?" he asked.

"Of course. That's where we're going, now I know you are not a potential infection risk."

Loki had been called worse, he supposed.

The Wakandan palace was incredible. He'd never seen anything like it. A completely different style of architecture, materials he could not name, a perfect combination of beauty and practicality. They passed a few guards, signalling deference to T'Challa, looking at Loki with undisguised interest.

No doubt they all knew exactly who he was and what his presence meant.

The hospital was bright, shining, peaceful, though interrupted with the sound of giggling.

Thor giggling to be precise.

"Ah," T'Challa said. "Yes, sometimes we find painkillers do have this effect on people."

They had strapped down Thor's injured arm to keep it still and covered his chest with a piece of tissue to afford him some dignity, but he seemed positively gleeful considering, holding onto Shuri's sleeve.

"It won't even work," he was saying. "I wasn't anywhere near the altar for one thing. What a fool!"

She seemed deeply confused, looking to Loki for explanations.

"He's talking about... some kind of ritual?" she said.

"Long story," Loki said, finding himself reached for and pulled close.

"Loki..." Thor said, frowning at him. "Loki, you should have gone when I told you to. You could have been killed."

"I saved your life!"

"But I love you and so nothing bad is allowed to happen to you."

The hospital staff were very clearly trying not to laugh and no wonder with Thor pouting so.

"In case you've forgotten, bad things happened to you, not me."

Thor looked balefully at his hand, being extremely neatly sewn together, some kind of machine seeming to grow new skin over the wound.

"It won't have worked," he said. "You need to be in the right place. Special place."

Shuri leant close to Loki to whisper to him.

"What is he talking about?"

"His family sacrifice parts of their bodies for prosperity. I think it's all a big misunderstanding. We're in quite a lot of trouble over it all really."

She blinked at him and then turned away.

"I've been meaning to look into prosthetics," she said. "Let me go get some things from my lab."

It seemed to be almost an impulse she had. Nothing couldn't be solved with invention.

And she was probably right.

Thor was sitting up when the Asgardians arrived. And at least he was somewhat more in possession of his inhibitions. And wearing a new shirt.


	39. Chapter 39

The news was murmured to T'Challa, making him sigh.

"It seems my mother is entertaining your mother, Prince Thor," he said. "And we are requested to attend."

"It's just Thor. I gave up my rights to a title a long time ago."

He was curiously touching his hand, the new, smooth skin there on the stumps of his fingers. It made Loki feel a little ill.

"Should I wait somewhere?" he asked.

"No," Thor said immediately. "I'm not letting you out of my sight if I can possibly avoid it."

Maybe Loki felt a little glimmer of pride at that. Valued and wanted. And, besides, he wanted to be there, to hear what Frigga had to say.

To his surprise, she had come more or less unaccompanied. Two guards, no more. It was an unusual scene to his eyes, the kind of thing he would never have dreamed of, two queens sitting together with a low table between them, each effortless in her elegance.

Until you looked closely. Then you could see the strain around Frigga's eyes, the pain there. She was tired. Stressed.

"All the trouble of coming home and you didn't even find the time to visit your mother," she said, a little reproachfully.

"Maybe I would have done if Hela hadn't been threatening to relieve me of all my blood," Thor said, keeping a shoulder in front of Loki, protective still.

"We have much to discuss."

"Yes. So I have been hearing."

The air was thick with tension, a horrible twisting in Loki's stomach. They might be getting Wakanda into real trouble here and beyond Shuri's opinion, there was no reason for them to be protected. For the good of his subjects, it would be entirely T'Challa's prerogative to send them away. Loki wouldn't even blame him.

So they had to work fast to convince her of the truth. Or what he believed it was.

"You've been preventing Hela from sacrificing, haven't you?" Loki said. "Because you think the document might be right."

There was a slight twitch in Frigga's eye maybe, turning to T'Challa's mother with forced ease.

"Thank you for inviting me so graciously into your home, Queen Ramonda, but this is private business. Might I request that we are left alone?"

Loki wasn't sure about this, but then again, she seemed the type to talk rather than strike out. Thor gave T'Challa a nod and seemed more or less sure that this was the right course.

Even the guards left. And for the first time, he saw Frigga as she truly was. Not a queen or a captor but as a woman rapidly reaching the end of her tether. She dropped a degree of posture, hunching her shoulders a little, looking exhausted.

"You broke your father's heart when you left, you know," she said softly. "He's never stopped hoping that you'll come to your senses and come home."

"Asgard is no longer my home," Thor said.

"You don't have a home. You could come back. We could discuss this."

"Not with Hela. Not with Father. You know they won't listen."

"But you are not safe out there! You know it isn't safe. Asgard has everything you could possibly want. You can't seriously imagine spending your life digging through scraps. Come home. Bring Loki with you. Be safe."

"Bleed for Asgard?" Loki asked.

She shot him a look of annoyance tinged with sadness.

"Thor's forebears have sacrificed their blood and appendages for Asgard for generations," she said. "It is not as simple a thing to change as you seem to think."

"But you know now. You know it's a lie. All that hurt..."

"It doesn't hurt, you barely feel it."

"It killed Hela's mother! And I saw Odin. He was a wreck, a walking corpse! And for what? For tradition? For a belief based on a mistake?"

She folded her arms, crossed her legs.

"You really think you can just dismiss it, just like that?" she asked. "One document, deliberately written to be unreadable, it's hardly conclusive proof. We don't know if it's true. It could be nonsense, ravings."

"And it could be true."

Thor held up a hand, the one missing fingers. Maybe he was making a point.

"We should make a pact," he said. "We return for a short time and we experiment. I will sacrifice along with the rest of you and we see how Asgard fares. And then we all stop. If we are right, you will see that Asgard is run by governance, not magic. And then you let us go. To be free."

This was a gamble. Not because Loki thought they could be wrong, but because he didn't trust Asgard to allow them to leave afterwards. They might end up trapped.

Thor had escaped once before, but that was no guarantee that he could do it again.

"Loki too," Frigga said.

"Of course, he will remain with me."

"No. As your spouse, I expect him to sacrifice. We tested him when he first arrived. He has the necessary blood."

The laugh slipped out of Loki's mouth before he even noticed.

"Me?" he said. "Royal blood? I don't think so."

"Around ten percent of our people have it," Frigga said, shrugging. "It does not necessarily mean you have any other desirable attributes. But, well... It is fortuitous nonetheless. One might almost call it fate."

Thor took his hand, squeezing tightly, turning to face him.

"I can't ask you to do this," he said.

Loki felt a little bit sick, but at the same time, this might be Thor's only chance to reconnect with his family. His only chance to end it.

And, yes, it would be hard and they'd face resistance from Hela and maybe Odin too, but together, surely they could face anything.

Besides, what choice did they have? Running now, putting Wakanda in jeopardy?

He squeezed back.

"I can do it," he said. "Because we're right. I have faith."

He wasn't expecting to be kissed in front of Frigga, however briefly, feeling a little embarrassed.

"These terms are acceptable. Blood only though. I don't intend to give Hela any more chances to cut bits off me."

"I can handle your sister," Frigga said.

Loki wished he believed that was true.


	40. Chapter 40

Shuri did not like this at all.

"But you can't go back," she said. "They hurt you. And they'll never let you go now."

"It is Thor's decision," T'Challa said. "Though if we can be of any assistance, we will endeavour to help."

Folded arms, a frown and then Shuri turned to Frigga.

"I want daily updates," she said. "I want to see them every day to ensure they are safe and well."

Loki expected some resistance, but Frigga seemed to shrug internally, saying it could easily be arranged. He was almost suspicious of how readily she let that go. Then again, perhaps she'd got what she wanted. Thor was coming home. That was a big hurdle crossed.

"I'll design you some new fingers," Shuri said. "Better ones. I figure a retractable screwdriver could be useful, maybe a fan, fully solar powered of course..."

"Thank you," Thor said. "I look forward to seeing what you come up with."

It felt very strange to willingly follow Frigga onto her ship, an opulent gold vessel, plush seats that you practically sank into, completely different to anything else Loki had travelled in. But, of course, normal for Thor.

He seemed pensive. Worried. And Loki was too, of course, but he expected about rather different things.

Thor was about to see the family he'd abandoned. Having never had a real family, Loki wasn't sure how to deal with that. There must be a lot of mixed emotions.

Of course, when he was very little, he used to dream of a parent or relative coming back for him. A mother or father, maybe even a brother or an aunt or something. Someone who wanted him.

And in time, he'd come to the conclusion that that wouldn't be happening and turned his thoughts towards angels.

He took Thor's hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles, getting a half smile for his trouble. He didn't really feel comfortable asking if he was alright in front of Frigga though. She was sitting opposite them, regal and calm. Looking a little like she wanted a nap.

It had been a long day, to be fair to her. And the seats were so soft...

Loki woke up against Thor's shoulder as they landed. It seemed he'd missed a little conversation, a sort of resigned peace having fallen over the ship in place of the tension from before.

"We're going to be spared until the morning, sweetheart," Thor murmured. "Hela needs time to calm down for one thing. We'll dine in private."

He was glad of it. They'd been apart so long. Too long.

It was strange to go to Thor's chambers without the usual armed guard. They were there of their own accord, of their own free will. Was Frigga trying to remind them of that fact, or was she just trying to avoid too many people knowing that Thor was back?

Thor let out a shuddering sigh as they entered, a little misty eyed perhaps. Presumably he had many fond memories of this place along with the more negative ones.

"I didn't get a chance to ask before," he said. "But they did treat you well, right?"

"Well, I think they tried to kill me with boredom," Loki said, taking advantage of finally being able to look around the room properly. "But otherwise yes. Well fed, unharmed. They even let me meet with Heimdall and Brunnhilde. I don't know if they were trying to get me used to the idea of staying or what."

Frigga had called him Thor's spouse. That was concerning him slightly. For one thing, he had long ago resigned himself to eternal bachelorhood. No money and no real prospects had made him unlikely to be seen as a catch and he doubted he'd be good at courtship even if he was interested.

"Probably," Thor said, testing some cushions placed on the wooden chairs - he did love a cushion after all. "They know you're special to me."

"How? How would they know?"

"They've been keeping track of me as best they could for years. I've never had a long-term partner before. Never wanted to drag someone into... all of this. And, you know, didn't want anyone getting involved with me thinking they'd be consort of Asgard only to discover what else comes with that."

It was a big thing to have sprung on you. Loki was still recovering from it, if he was honest.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A scratch," Thor said. "And you might feel a little sick or faint, but it's usually fine. They used to do it on Earth for medical treatments a little after your time, before they invented synthetic blood alternatives."

"You mean blood letting?"

"No. Blood donation. A healthy person can give their blood to someone else if they've been injured or for certain kinds of illnesses. If that's what we were doing, I wouldn't mind. It would have another purpose at least."

The whole thing made Loki feel a little ill. He had to take his mind off it.

"So, this is where you grew up, then?" he asked, sitting on the bed. "Young Thor. All boisterous and loud, I bet."

"Something like that, yeah. I loved training. Going up into the mountains. Getting into scrapes, making my parents dispair of me... Anything I could want, really. But I knew there was more out there. I can't really explain it, I just have an... an urge to explore."

Loki thought he knew what he meant, though he'd never had the chance himself really. He still remembered going into the countryside, seeing cows for the first time as living creatures rather than carcasses, the horizon stretching off and wondering what was beyond. Stories as a child of far off magical lands.

Which ironically he was more or less in now.

"And besides," Thor said. "I like feeling like I'm doing something. I had no direction here. I begged my parents for a diplomatic role, to be allowed out to see other worlds, to learn from them, but..."

"It's not safe?" Loki asked. "They kept saying that. And I suppose they're right, but nowhere's safe. That's life."

Thor sighed, coming to join him, flopping down.

"Asgard is quite old-fashioned. You might have noticed. We don't really go in for... much from outside. They worry that people might get hurt, reckon they can keep them all safe here."

"Why all the military training, then? If you don't ever leave?"

Thor shrugged, opening him arms in invitation for Loki to roll into, running fingers through his hair.

"I guess they think we might one day be invaded. And it's tradition. We love a tradition."

It was tricky, Loki had to admit. The universe beyond was dangerous, that was true. But it was also wonderful.

"I'm glad you came for me," he murmured, half into Thor's chest.

"Is that doubt I hear?"

"Maybe a tiny bit. If I'm being extremely honest."

Thor laughed, holding him close.

"That's fair," he said. "I had to prove myself first."

Loki swallowed hard, trying to be brave for a moment.

"Maybe after dinner you could... make it up to me," he said, going what was probably a very unattractive shade.

Thor gave him a surprised look. Happy surprised though.

"I'm sure I could try."


	41. Chapter 41

Loki was not fully ignorant of the concept of a romantic meal. He'd had a few friends in the mill who had saved up their pennies to take their sweetheart for a proper dining experience in a pub. Of course, most of them would have been happy enough with a pie on the right side of warm, but it was partly the look it and the sense of pride in providing.

He definitely didn't feel these things ought to happen in one half of the couple's sleeping chambers, but he was grateful for the privacy.

It felt like the first time they'd really eaten alone. There had been all the time in the barn, of course, but they hadn't been able to talk and then there'd only been a couple of awkward first evenings before Shuri joined them.

This was surprisingly nice. A small table, food brought to them, the sun going down outside and lighting the room in shades of pink and orange. It suited Thor, his hair shining, his eyes seeming a deeper blue and his skin almost golden.

In fact, if he leant at the right angle...

"What?" Thor asked, catching Loki smiling wistfully at him.

"You have a halo, angel."

The loud laughter somewhat spoiled the serene effect, but that was alright. Just proof that it was Thor himself sitting with him, smiling and taking his hand.

"You'll have to be gentle with me," he said softly. "I'm not used to being this vulnerable."

"Me neither," Loki said. "I'm not even used to imagining so much as a night with anyone, let alone a future. It's..."

"Scary?"

"A bit. And exciting. Even if I have to bleed a little bit for it."

Thor chewed thoughtfully. He had topped up his stew with a lot of vegetables, making it less a side salad and more side everything else.

"Can we..." he sighed. "Can we pretend that's not happening? Just for tonight. Can we pretend we're just having an adventure somewhere?"

Ah. Hiding and pretending. It seemed to be Thor's routine, disguising his fears and worries behind laughter and bravado. It was clearly rare to see behind the curtain, as it were.

But maybe Loki could see the appeal. Just for one night. It might help to calm his nerves about the evening ahead a little where they were gently bubbling in his chest if he could pretend not to feel them well enough.

"Alright," he said. "We've landed on our feet here. Nice rooms, nice food... No worries."

His efforts were appreciated, Thor raising his cup. They'd refused beer in favour of water and now Loki was maybe regretting it a little. He was torn, in a strange place where he knew what he wanted but was almost afraid of it.

After all, what if it didn't... What if it wasn't how he expected...?

"We don't have to do anything if you change your mind, sweetheart."

"Oh, I'm fine," Loki lied.

"Alright," Thor said, in a tone that said he didn't really believe that.

At least it gave him something to focus on. It was easy not to think about tomorrow when your head was full of tonight.

"Sorry," Thor said. "I've made things awkward. This isn't how it normally goes."

"How so?"

He smiled a little, twirling his fork between his three remaining left fingers. And he was either adapting to that well, or hiding it expertly.

"Well, I'm normally a lot more suave for one thing. It's because it's you. I want to... You know. Make sure you have a good time. You've been so patient with me, waiting for the right opportunity."

"Waiting to be alone, you mean."

"Well, that. And waiting for you to settle in. I didn't want to rush anything."

Loki didn't feel like he would ever settle in this life. There was too much going on, too many new things. But he could settle with Thor. Feel secure in their relationship together.

"You told me you love me," Loki said. "In your letter. And in the hospital."

Was that a hint of pink on his cheeks, separate from the setting sun?

"Yeah," Thor said. "Because I do. Because you're smart and determined and funny and... You. Doesn't have to be a big thing though."

He was very handsome when he was embarrassed. And it was a side no one else got to see. Special. One of many looks just for him.

Loki used his last piece of crusty bread to soak up the remaining sauce in his bowl, gravy with just a little too much salt in it maybe, but not enough to be unpleasant.

"Thor?"

"Mm."

"I want you to kiss me."

There it was. That look of warmth and adoration that he'd never thought would be directed his way in a million years.

"That, I can do."


	42. Chapter 42

Kissing was nice. Familiar. A few soft ones across the table and then Thor got up, taking his hand to move proceedings to the bed.

Somehow this mattress was firm and soft at the same time. Bouncy. Loki felt himself sink into it, arching his back, desperate for touch. He struggled to get out of the clothes Wakanda had given him, ending up squirming and giggling, letting Thor help him.

It was good to laugh. Released some tension, goose bumps rushing over his skin in comparison to the warmth of Thor's fingers, thumbs slipping over his nipples.

"How do you want to do this?"

Loki tried to hide his nerves. He had a choice to make; a new but daunting experience either way. But one way, Thor would be doing most of the... handling as it were.

"I think... I think you should do it. The... You know."

It was mortifying to have to say it out loud! But Thor didn't seem to mind, didn't acknowledge his blushes, just kissed him again, soft and gentle.

"Alright," he said. "But you can change your mind or tell me to stop or slow down at any time."

He squeezed his hips and then went to one of his shelves, letting down a concealed compartment with a bottle within. Slick. Oil. Something.

"I must seem very inexperienced to you," Loki said, blurting it out really. "I'm sorry if it's disappointing."

Thor seemed very surprised by that, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Don't..." he said. "Don't worry about that. Just be yourself. I love you. I want to do this with you."

The little glow in Loki's chest swelled a little.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, so do I."

He was welcomed back into Thor's arms, held close, those hands running over his body. His heart was rabbit fast in his chest, fluttering, excited and worried in equal measure.

Removing the rest of their clothes didn't really help matters. Suddenly everything about Thor seemed enormous, even though in reality they were not so different. He wondered if Thor could feel his pulse beneath his lips as he kissed his neck.

He definitely couldn't miss his sharp, quick breathing, the way his chest was rising and falling so quickly.

"Still OK?" Thor asked.

"Nervous."

A nod, a kiss, soothing touches. All helping, making him focus more on the pleasure arcing through him. He was hard for one thing, his cock brushing against Thor's skin in obvious want.

And then Thor's hands drifted lower, between his legs, a touch that he had felt before but never like this, not quite. It felt so strange to be touched so, a dry thumb gently rubbing over a tight curl of muscle, just allowing him to become accustomed to it before slick got involved.

It was very peculiar. Slippery and wet, warming against his skin, and then the tiniest amount of pressure...

Loki's breath hitched, closing his eyes. It didn't hurt, it was just... very strange. Alien. And Thor wasn't moving or trying to push his finger further inside, just allowing him to become accustomed to it.

"Alright?"

"I think so."

"Good."

It didn't hurt. At least he could say that. It was maybe a little uncomfortable, but he could feel himself relaxing a little, enough for Thor to try moving. Just the smallest amount, a little deeper each time. Loki waited patiently for it to feel good rather than just odd.

The first brush of Thor's finger over something inside him made him gasp, not really sure if it was good or bad, just knowing it was intense. He clutched at the blankets, gripping them tight, the feeling resolving into pleasure that was almost unexpected.

"Nice?" Thor asked.

"Yes..."

"I'm going to try another finger."

This was harder. There was a hint of pain alongside it, Thor using his other hand, the three-fingered one, to stroke his cock, the two sensations merging in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. Still, Loki found himself wincing a little, glad for Thor's kisses.

"Do you want to stop? I know it can be difficult."

"I think I just need to relax a little more. Keep going, I can do it."

Movement made it better. There was pressure and then release, a steady rhythm, predictable, and he was concentrating on letting go of tension, on breathing...

Suddenly, it wasn't so bad. In fact, he rather liked it, feeling sensations he couldn't describe, growing bold and rolling his hips upwards, taking a little initiative.

And Thor gasped at that, impressed, grinning at him, changing his angle to one that was even more intense, pushing his fingers apart a little, stretching him.

"You're doing so well," he murmured. "Let me know when you feel ready to try."

Loki glanced at Thor's cock, heavy and dark pink, swallowing hard. But then again, was it really so different from his fingers? Besides, there was a natural tapering...

A strong press inside him made him keen, almost a yelp, his own cock leaking in response.

"Yes," he whispered. "Yes, I want to."

The withdrawal felt more like a loss than he had expected, leaving him feeling strangely empty as Thor moved, settling between his legs, stroking his cheek gently with his thumb.

And then he started pushing inside.

Loki focussed on his breathing. There was a slight burn here, nothing he couldn't handle, but adjustment was necessary, his nails digging into Thor's arms reflexively, his eyes wide.

"Tell me when," Thor said. "Take as long as you need."

It was just so different to anything he'd ever experienced. He was so full, overwhelmed, feeling so strange.

This was as close as it was physically possible to be, he thought. And he was doing it with the person he loved most in the world.

He found himself clutching at Thor's face, holding him there, arching his back up to kiss him and moaning slightly at the change in angle.

"I think I'm ready."


	43. Chapter 43

Thor moved slowly and gently, watching his face for any sign of discomfort, rolling his hips in long, deliberate thrusts that Loki felt he could feel every inch of.

The little moans Thor let out excited him, knowing he was causing them, his body, experimenting with pushing up to meet him. Taking more agency.

It was strangely pleasant once he relaxed. Emphasis on the strange element. It almost reminded him of the first moments of masturbation, an underlying arousal, a promise of climax to come perhaps, but not the instant, blinding heights he had anticipated.

And then, still watching him, Thor shifted his weight a little and drove forward and...

"Ah! Oh!"

He couldn't hold it back. The surprise and the wave of pleasure that rolled through his body, his thighs tight around Thor's hips as he tried to find that again, clinging to him.

"You like that?" Thor murmured.

"Mm!" was about all Loki could manage.

He was practically writhing, trying to push himself up towards Thor's thrusts, trying to find a way for that point within him to be found constantly, to feel the drag of Thor's cock right there. And at the same time, it felt a little overwhelming, like he needed to be held close to reassure him in some way.

"You're so beautiful," Thor said, his voice tinged with moans, his eyes dark and warm, biting his lower lip just a little.

For one of the first times in his life, Loki felt beautiful. He felt wanted, desired, loved, important, so many things he had craved for so long, some of which he'd had for months, but here, with his world shrunk to just the space between Thor's arms and the softness of a mattress, with worries stripped away by sensation, maybe he could finally see that.

And it felt so good.

"I won't last much longer," Thor said, moving back a little, trying to reach down to stroke Loki's cock.

"No," Loki whined, making him chuckle.

"Can't help it, sweetheart. You're just too... everything."

Even though he wanted this to last forever, the sensation of a hand wrapped around him almost made Loki convulse, an underlying want coming to the fore, trying to thrust up into Thor's grip just as much as grind against his cock.

He just needed a little more...

It was so strange to gasp out his climax, spend all over Thor's hand, feeling him inside, making the clenching of his muscles so intense and then a distinct sensation within that only registered in his mind a few seconds later.

That was Thor's spill, inside him. So intimate. Evidence of what they'd done together, proof of their mutual desire and love and passion.

It felt distinctly less romantic to merely be wet afterwards, strangely empty, an unusual feeling all around. Easily fixed with kissing though, their legs tangling together, resting his head on Thor's arm.

"Was that alright?" Thor asked.

"Yes. I loved it."

A smile bloomed over his face, his lips as pink as the blush of effort on his cheeks.

"It can be intense at first," he said. "My first time wasn't... the best it could have been."

Loki felt the tiniest hint of jealousy flare within himself. Who would dare? How dare they?

He tried to soothe his ruffled feathers by cuddling close, knowing he was the only one to receive this attention now.

"Don't worry," he said. "Just hold me."

He didn't even think of what a successful distraction it had been until they woke the following day.

He felt disgusting at first, sticky and sweaty, coming round beneath a blanket that had been carefully tucked around him.

Despite it all, he'd slept well, maybe grateful to have Thor back with him, comforted by his presence. He'd clearly been sleeping alone for a short while though, Thor's hair already washed, dressed in a long grey robe and opening the door.

Had there been a knock? Is that what woke him?

Clothes being delivered. Loki groaned a little to see another leather outfit meant for him. How were they making them so quickly?!

Thor took the bundle with quiet thanks and then sighed as though he could physically exhale his worries.

"We're really doing this, aren't we?" he murmured.

"It's temporary," Loki tried.

"I hope you're right."


	44. Chapter 44

Loki washed quickly, feeling a little strange. Not bruised, but maybe a little tender from last night's activities. He was nervous about being here, especially about seeing Hela again given their last meeting.

It was good to have Thor with him though. At least one of them wasn't horribly ignorant of everything.

Re-emerging from the washroom, he found Thor looking the very image of misery. The clothes suited him though, Loki thought. Blue and silver.

Still. He was going to have to be strong for both of them. Attempt to be optimistic.

"We're summoned to breakfast," Thor said. "And I believe you've met Brunnhilde? She's to be our personal guard while we're here."

"Ah. Well, she's certainly very... diligent. What's she guarding us from?"

"Honestly? Probably my sister."

Loki went to him, pulling him close by the hips, deliberately trying to make himself seem smaller than he was to play into Thor's protective streak.

"It's temporary," he murmured. "And we're together at least."

He got a grudging smile, an encouraging sign.

"I enjoyed last night," Loki added. "Very much."

"Me too."

"Good."

He laid his hand into Thor's, a symbol of their relationship that they didn't normally feel the need to use but that felt right now, and opened the door.

The Valkyrie looked thoroughly bored, leaning against the wall.

"You're back, then?" she asked.

"For a little while," Thor said. "Not permanently."

She didn't exactly seem convinced, her measured pace echoing down the corridor as they made their way to a part of the palace Loki had never visited.

It was very close to Thor's rooms and therefore Loki concluded it was part of the royal family's private living space. It couldn't be described as cosy though, or intimate. The ceilings were too tall, the walls too far apart for that. It felt like the great hall if it had been shrunk slightly.

The tension could have been made into butter it was so thick. Maybe even cheese.

Hela was sitting on one side of a table, her arms folded and a scowl on her face. She'd slicked back her hair, giving an appearance as though she were about to put on a helmet and go to war, her fingers tapping irritably against her biceps.

Odin and Frigga seemed calmer but strained, tired. Loki wondered if either of them had got much sleep.

There was a scrape of a chair as Odin leapt to his feet and then hesitated, unsure of how to greet his son. Loki found his hand squeezed a little as Thor went tense.

"My boy," Odin said. "Welcome home."

Thor sighed slightly, stepping forward to occupy one of the two empty chairs, left for them.

"I won't insult you by pretending to be overly pleased," he said. "We all know the circumstances."

"How's your hand?" Hela asked, disdain practically dripping from her voice.

"Fine actually. I assume you've burned my fingers?"

"Naturally. You were overdue."

"And what of the fact I was nowhere near the altar? Bit of an oversight."

"I'm sure Asgard will accept your offering nonetheless."

Loki scoffed without even thinking about it. 'Offering'. That was one way to be looking at it. The whole thing was almost funny.

Food arrived over his shoulder and only now was he beginning to recognise that the very diet here, the richness, the amount of red meat, was aimed towards maintaining their blood's thickness. No wonder Thor had shifted a little away from it in his life outside.

"So," Thor asked, cutting up a sausage with an air of boredom. "What exactly are we telling people?"

"You are returning from work away from the realm, forwarding Asgard's interests beyond our borders," Odin said.

"But we don't have any. We refuse to trade, we refuse to get involved with any inter-planetary business, we don't pay attention to their news. We may as well not exist. Then again, I suppose it's not like anyone will ask for details."

There was an awkward pause, which Loki felt he ought to start getting used to.

"You're home," Frigga said. "That's what matters."

Thor laughed, but there was no amusement in his face.

"This is not our home," he said. "You know that. And I trust you've relayed our terms for being here."

He was presenting them as a team, Loki noticed. United. He was glad of that.

Odin nodded slowly.

"A month sacrificing as usual," he said. "A month without. And we see what changes. However, of course, before all that, there's the marriage to think of."

Loki choked, Brunnhilde instantly by his side to pat him on the back.

"Marriage?" Thor said.

"Only royalty may sacrifice, as you know. And Mr Laufeyson is not royalty. Yet."

Of all the things they could have said, Loki really hadn't been expecting that.


	45. Chapter 45

Loki wasn't sure how he felt. Yes, he loved Thor, he did. And he wanted to spend his life with him - he more or less had to in this strange world where he knew nothing - but marriage put a different spin on that desire.

It made it all rather... binding.

He realised that Thor had gone very quiet beside him, looking over, a strange blend of trepidation and offence. Didn't he want to? Why was that insulting?

"I would have preferred to propose in my own way and at a time of my choosing," Thor said coldly.

"Well, if you feel unsure of your choice of spouse..." Odin said.

And suddenly Loki saw exactly what was happening. They were trying to discourage their relationship, to drive them apart but pushing them together too hard.

They were underestimating his determination.

"It's just a formality," he said, sipping the bitter drink in front of him. "A legal matter. I don't see any problem."

Ah. He had upset them. Good. That meant he was winning. And when he glanced at Thor, he found an expression of calm resolution, no sign of unease at all.

"Very well," Frigga said. "Then we will make the announcement this evening. In the meantime, I expect you will want to get settled in. See what's changed."

Thor sighed heavily.

"That's just the problem, Mother," he said. "Nothing ever changes around here."

He cleared his plate all the same and Loki followed suit, following his lead. The silence seemed to stretch out horribly and Loki felt sure that it had to snap, it had to give way eventually. Someone would scream at this rate.

Didn't they want to ask questions? Where Thor had been, what he'd been doing? Then again, they'd been following him. Perhaps they knew.

All his life, Loki had dreamed of having a family. He'd never dreamed of this.

Then again, he'd also dreamed that one day it would be revealed that he was secretly a prince and given his impending nuptials, he was about to become one, maybe, technically.

Funny how things worked out really.

"What arrangements have been made for contacting Wakanda?" Thor asked.

"Heimdall is handling that."

That was good. They did not appear to be aware he had helped them escape. His cover was still in place.

"I still don't see what she'd do if we didn't allow it," Hela said bitterly. "She has no army of her own and her brother would never invade."

"I fear it would be far worse than that," Thor said. "I think she'd send diplomats. And we certainly don't want that, do we?"

"They have no right to meddle in our affairs."

He didn't even bother to respond to that. Loki wasn't really sure what his aim was. Did he want to open Asgard to the wider world? He hadn't exactly been politically active before all this. He didn't seem like a campaigner as such.

More likely he just wanted his own freedom. Their freedom. Which was a good aim in itself, but it felt a little low given his talk of regret that he had abandoned his people.

"Can we go now?" Thor said. "I'd like to show my fiancé parts of the palace he won't have seen as a prisoner."

Odin raised a finger.

"Proclamation first before appearing in public. I shan't have rumours spreading too early."

Thor shrugged.

"Fine," he said. "Then I suppose we'll stay indoors. Come on, Loki."

It wasn't exactly a strain to leave that awkward table. Brunnhilde followed them, seeming jaded. Perhaps she'd witnessed these familial disputes regularly.

"I'm sorry," Thor murmured, softened, back to how he usually was when they were together. "I didn't expect them to spring that on you."

"It's fine."

"Is it?"

Oh, it was annoying that he knew him so well.

"I admit I am a little nervous. Marriage has a lot of weight to it. But then again, it is only a formality, isn't it? I'm correct on that point?"

He was trying not to imagine dreadful ceremonies, some kind of ordeal or a public bedding ritual... He really preferred to keep such things private.

"I'm a little surprised that they would allow you to marry a man though. I mean, it rather puts heirs out of the question, doesn't it?"

"The usual way of acquiring them, yes, but there is always adoption. As long as they have the right blood. But I'm not really sure if I want them anyway. Have you given it much thought?"

"At times. I sometimes wanted to create a family like I never knew. But I knew I did not desire women in the necessary manner. Perhaps if I had met a lady who would be primarily a friend and partner, we could have found a way together, but... No, I never expected them in my life. Anyway, no doubt you have a few bastards around the galaxy."

He said it to tease and Thor took his meaning immediately, showing mock offence.

"The very idea... I'll have you know I was always very careful."

"Oh, I'm sure. It's not like you've ever had an accident like, I don't know, crashing your ship..."

"Excuse me, that was not an accident. It was fate. It brought me to you."

Such romance. It was just a shame Brunnhilde was clearing her throat behind them, reminding them of her presence.

"You don't have to follow us around everywhere, you know," Thor said. "We're not going anywhere."

"I'm afraid I do. Believe me, I'd rather be elsewhere too. It's for your protection."

Hela, Loki understood. She wouldn't be at all happy about their agreement with Frigga.

They needed a change of mood, all of them.

"Show me where you grew up, then," Loki said. "I've not really had a chance to explore yet."

He linked his arm with Thor's and let himself be escorted around.

Like everything was normal.


	46. Chapter 46

If Loki wasn't mistaken, Thor was a little embarrassed by the opulence he'd grown up in. That it was so grand, or maybe so old-fashioned. He wasn't sure which.

And, certainly, it was very different to his own humble beginnings, but that was hardly Thor's fault. He hadn't even been born back then.

Or maybe he was embarrassed by the fact that he had all this, could have come back at any time, and yet they spent their days digging through refuse and dust for scraps.

He hadn't minded though. And their little cave hide out had been much more homely than these cold walls, the tapestries and hangings doing little, it seemed, to actually insulate.

They took a fairly brief tour of the inner palace. Loki got the distinct feeling that Thor had spent most of his youth outside in the golden sunshine, communing with the land that he believed his blood would nourish.

There were new clothes laid out for them in Thor's rooms when they returned, Brunnhilde remaining outside. Fancier ones.

"For the grand announcement?" Loki guessed.

"Probably. They'll be making a real song and dance about it."

He seemed a little off, a little sad. Being restrained like this didn't suit him.

"It's only for a few months," Loki said. "And once we're announced, we can go outside. You can show me more of Asgard itself."

It was difficult to tell if that had been appreciated or not. Thor was looking at the heavier armour that had been brought for him, seeming resigned.

"We should go and see Heimdall," he said. "Let Shuri know we're well."

That seemed as good a plan as any. They might not have time later, depending on what dinner arrangements seemed to be.

Loki could see Thor's face settling into a look he could only define as defiant contentness. It was artificial, he knew. But if Asgard intended to try to break him, he would revel in being unbroken. That was his nature.

It was a real smile when Loki took his arm again though.

"We're going to visit the watcher," Thor told Brunnhilde. "Please don't feel you have to come."

"I'm afraid I do," she sighed, putting her glass device into a concealed pocket. She hadn't even tried to hide it from them, apparently confident that they had no reason to tell on her. "But I'll give you privacy if that's what you're really asking for."

Considering she was the one who had captured him and dragged him to this wretched place, Loki was surprised to find that she was actually one of the least troublesome people they had to deal with.

He still felt a slight shudder going into Heimdall's... office? Was that the right term? Watchtower, perhaps? It was strange, the dark room with only silver-blue light from the screens.

At first Heimdall didn't seem to notice them, not turning round, but then he let out a small harrumph, a faint sound of annoyance.

"They've given you a very diligent shadow, my prince."

"Just Thor, please. We're good enough friends for that, I think. And Brunnhilde's not so bad. Just good at her job."

"She is regretting that a little, I think. Much as you did, she met interesting people beyond Asgard's borders. I believe she may miss someone. One in particular."

He turned, waving a hand over a panel to illuminate the room better, taking off his helmet. There seemed to be voices whispering within it.

"Thanks for... You know," Thor said. "Everything."

"You're most welcome."

Loki wondered how this friendship had come about. How Thor had managed to convince Heimdall to effectively commit treason for him. How often he had tried to protect him by not reporting potential sightings.

"You'll be needing to contact Wakanda, yes?"

"Every day."

"That can be arranged."

He really was an odd fellow. Maybe absorbing so much information for so long did something strange to the brain. Or maybe his strangeness is what had made him suited for the job.

They contacted Heimdall's opposite in Wakanda, a steely eyed woman who seemed to soften just a little upon realising who was calling.

"Ah, yes. The princess has been anticipating this. I will transfer you to the lab. One moment."

There was a moment of blankness and then a room appeared that was superficially similar to the hospital. It was a lot more cluttered though, with smoke rising from what looked like a pen in Shuri's grasp as she carved into metal, huge goggles protecting her eyes.

Thor waited until she'd stopped before distracting her, getting a gasp and a scramble over towards what Loki assumed was a screen showing their faces.

"Is it really you?" she asked. "Say something only you would know."

"I see you've been reunited with your laser cutters," Thor said.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"And are you alright? Have they done anything to you?"

They hadn't really, Loki had to admit. Not yet.

"We're betrothed now," he said. "They've rather insisted."

"Ooh, am I invited?"

"I doubt they'll let anyone from outside in," Thor said. "But we'll tell you all about it."

"I'll make you something nice. A wedding present."

Loki didn't doubt it.

And between her and Heimdall and maybe Brunnhilde, it was good to know that they had at least a couple of allies.


	47. Chapter 47

The announcement feast was... an experience.

People clearly knew there was something going on, a sort of anticipation running through the crowd. Maybe they'd noticed the two extra places at the royal table. Maybe there had been an announcement of an imminent announcement.

Thor was nervous as they were held back in a corridor, rubbing his thumb over the stumps of his fingers, eyes shifting back and forth. Loki didn't hear what Odin said, but he heard the cheer and nudged Thor into motion. His triumphant return.

The beer seemed rather stronger than usual, he thought. Celebratory. And the people were very happy, singing songs, chattering excitedly. People loved a spectacle, he supposed.

In comparison, their table was subdued. Quiet. Just like breakfast.

"Eat up, Thor, darling," Frigga said softly, noticing him morosely pushing his food around the plate. "You're due tomorrow."

"I can't be. _She_ took my fingers."

"An accident, I'm sure. Besides, don't you want to show Loki that there's nothing to be scared of?"

Loki wasn't convinced that he wanted to see how the sacrifices happened. Then again, if he saw it, maybe it wouldn't seem so bad. Maybe it would calm him.

"Fine," Thor said, stabbing half a boiled potato.

Trying to be subtle, Loki slipped a hand beneath the table to squeeze his thigh, trying to be reassuring. Maybe it worked.

"I'll switch to water, please," Thor said. "Better to be properly hydrated."

Loki was quite glad of the warmth the beer was settling in his stomach. He'd regret it in the morning, no doubt, but anything to distract himself.

"Did you announce a date?" Thor asked. "I assume you want the wedding done as soon as possible."

"Next week. There seems no reason to delay."

The sooner it was done, the sooner they'd be able to leave, Loki supposed. All the same, a horrible ball of nervous tension settled in the pit of his stomach.

He tried to drown it.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Frigga cleared her throat.

"I'd be grateful if we could all make a bit of an effort," she said softly. "Things don't get better until you work at them."

She was really rather optimistic, Loki felt. Then again, once they were proved right, perhaps they ought to try to mend bridges. And maybe it would make Thor more comfortable if there was a fraction less tension in the air.

"What happens in your weddings?" he asked, trying to show willing.

She nodded to him gratefully.

"It's very simple. You will walk the length of the hall as a free man entering into matrimony, meet Thor, swear fealty to one another and that's really it."

It seemed much too easy. There had to be a catch somewhere.

"There's no... I don't know. Ordeals to go through?"

"Everything will be explained to you."

That was not an answer, but he'd take it. Thor would surely pre-warn him if he knew anything.

"I never expected to get married," he said to no one in particular.

"Many of us don't," Frigga observed.

"Some of us don't need to in order to drag ourselves up the ranks," Hela said darkly.

"Our marriage was for love," Odin said. "We've been through this."

"I'm merely saying that I find it interesting that we are now genuinely entertaining marrying a throw-back into the family. It's yet another in a long line of attempts to degrade our lineage."

Thor rolled his eyes. Maybe this had been a common theme even before he left Asgard in the first place.

"Like it or not, we are your family," he said. "I'm just trying to get to the truth."

"I know the truth, Thor."

She didn't. And that was the worst thing. It was going to be extremely difficult to convince her of anything else.

It just made Loki all the more determined to go through with it, even though he knew tomorrow he would see the sacrifice for the first time and see exactly what he was getting himself into.

His tankard was filled over his shoulder. He was glad of it, even though he already felt a little strange.

He didn't remember getting to bed and woke with a mouth tasting of dryness and fluff, or so it felt. His head seemed to have shrunk, his brain pressing painfully against the confines of his skull.

He moaned a little, trying to hide back into the pillows and the peace of sleep, but it seemed like a losing battle.

Thor placed a small yellow pill in his hand.

"Take it. It'll help."

It was sharp-tasting, harsh, but gone almost immediately. Loki felt like he could feel it passing down his throat, into his stomach. At least then the effect was almost instant.

"You have hangover cures now?"

"It's just a painkiller," Thor said, his voice pitched low. "You'll still be a bit groggy probably."

Maybe he was. At least he could stretch without every muscle complaining now. At least he could face the sunlight.

"When do we have to... You know?"

"No specific time. Whenever we're ready."

Hmm... He was getting a distinct impression of Thor's feelings here.

"Do you want to get it over with?"

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all."

The sooner they did it, the sooner it would be over, after all.


	48. Chapter 48

This part of the palace was dark. There were no windows here, no natural light. Even Brunnhilde seemed a little unnerved.

"Is she allowed down here?" Loki asked in a whisper.

"Outside. Not into the chamber itself."

Well, that didn't sound at all ominous...

If the rest of the palace was old, this was ancient. They descended down spiral stairs and along musty corridors, always on a slope, always going down and down. The lit torches lining the walls provided no heat at all, it seemed, goosebumps flowing over Loki's skin.

"We're almost there," Thor said. "It's really not that bad. All this is just... theatre."

Loki tried to believe him. Maybe this was to root out unworthy spouses. Trying to frighten him.

The metal door did not help. It seemed very solid. Like no sound could escape it no matter how loudly you screamed.

Did they just walk in? It seemed somehow... underwealming.

Or so he thought before Thor opened the door, disappointingly without any kind of creak or whine. This place was very clearly maintained, a stone room with a worn path, smoother than the floor around it, from the door to...

Well, that was a big stone slab. An upright one. And it had straps attached.

Quite strong-looking ones.

The door clicked shut behind them. Loki suddenly wished Brunnhilde was with them. Maybe three people would make the room a little less chilly. Again, the torches seemed to do nothing.

It seemed cavernous despite the relatively small size. Tall maybe. Or perhaps the shadows were playing tricks on him.

Thor rolled his ahoulders and systematically stripped to the waist, carefully folding his undershirt. Loki took it from him without a word. He felt strangely reverent. This was a holy place. Or maybe unholy. The opposite face of the same coin.

"You don't do it by yourself, do you?" he asked in a quiet voice. "You don't have to..."

He couldn't even say it.

"It's mostly automatic," Thor said. "There couldn't always be a guarantee that there would be anyone to help. Besides it's... Private, I suppose."

He walked towards the stone and began strapping himself to it, around his stomach, his chest, a particularly tight one around his right arm at the bicep, tugging it.

Loki jumped as a strange clunking sound rang out and the whole slab moved, lifting Thor up and tilting him until he was lying down.

And _now_ it looked like an altar.

A metal arm shot out of the side, running down Thor's arm like a snake ready to strike. What was it doing? Detecting his veins?

Loki didn't even see when it happened. Thor grunted lightly, wincing, and then he exhaled slowly and there was a distinct sound of liquid hitting a metal dish. A tube from the arm leading to a small vase.

"How... How much...?"

"About a pint."

That seemed a terrifyingly large amount.

"It won't take long," Thor said, as though that was what was worrying him. "And after the first scratch, you don't feel anything."

If there was only a seat or something... It was partly the awkwardness that bothered him, the churning in his stomach, the waiting. Thor was right, it couldn't have taken more than ten or fifteen minutes, but it felt longer.

And now he was grateful for the chill, sure that any heat or stuffiness would have made him feel dizzy.

There was another strange sound and the arm withdrew, leaving a small, circular dressing on Thor's skin.

"Is that it?"

"Almost. It keeps you still for a few minutes just to make sure you don't faint, and then we'll gift it to the flames."

He was saying all this as though it was perfectly ordinary. It felt like a strange nightmare to Loki.

The smell of it reminded him of the butcher's shop, of the old farmer killing a goose at Christmas, that iron scent. In the right circumstances, not a terrible smell, but here and now...

The altar tipped upright and Loki hurried to help undo the straps and give Thor his shirt back.

"How old were you when you first did this?" he asked.

"A full pint? About eighteen, I suppose. I only did that a few times before leaving though. I sort of built up to it through adolescence."

He could clearly read Loki's face, his discomfort at that thought.

"It's a little bit of blood every few months," he said. "You spent the same part of your life half starved and working yourself ragged. Don't feel too sorry for me. Otherwise, I was extremely privileged."

He picked up his vase and carried it to one of the torches, pouring it into a sort of chute that would allow it to trickle into the flames.

"Let's get out of here."

Loki didn't need to be invited twice. That smell, the faint sound of sizzling... It was awful.

"Sure you want to get involved with all this?" Thor asked as they made their way back up the stairs, towards natural light, Brunnhilde at their heels looking concerned but crucially not asking about what they'd been doing.

"I want to be involved with you. And this comes with you, for now."

The sweet air of Asgard was welcome, both of them taking huge, deep lungfuls.

No wonder Thor preferred being outside.


	49. Chapter 49

Slowly, things got better, mainly because they virtually never saw Hela except at meal times. Now that Thor had given a proper sacrifice, she seemed a lot calmer, content to merely ignore them rather than actively antagonise.

They established a sort of routine of speaking to Shuri in the mornings and seeing more of the grand city that dominated Asgard afterwards.

"It's a planet though, isn't it?" Loki asked. "There are more cities out there, aren't there?"

"It's a very small planet," Thor whispered, like it was a secret. "There are moons bigger than us. So, yes, there are a couple of other towns but most people live here and in the surrounding land. Most of the other side is water. The great sea."

It was very beautiful, Loki had to admit, all lush vegetation and blue skies, shining buildings. And the people were very kind to him, spoke to him with a degree of awe that on one hand put him on edge and on the other pleased him immensely. It was nice to feel special.

And it was nice to have more time for intimacy too. Now that they'd done it once, it seemed Thor was more comfortable in being physical and Loki was still wondering at it, how this pleasure could be found so easily.

His favourite was for Thor to lie behind him, a more intense version of their first stumbling steps into closeness, being held and touched like that, feeling Thor's breath on the back of his neck with every quiet moan.

Thor liked to see his face. Liked his eyes, apparently. When they went big.

He was still pondering how to ask to try the other way. Thor had seemed open - ha - to the idea, but they hadn't really talked about it.

How to bring it up without implying any pressure though?

He waited for the right moment to catch Thor a little off-guard, as they lay together, Thor on top with his weight heavy but comforting, his cock buried deep within Loki's body, their hands messily intertwined. Slow and careful, no rush.

Loki turned his head to the side, sighing happily against the pillow. He hoped he looked suitably alluring and not like a big tangle of hair.

"Can I do this to you some time?" he asked, soft and warm, like it was just a whim that had entered his head.

Thor hummed happily, rolling his hips forward, making Loki moan a little.

"I've been thinking about that actually," he said. "Thought we could... Mm... Save it for the wedding night."

Loki felt a little pulse of excitement. Waiting. Anticipating... He liked the idea of that.

"You could... You could get ready before the ceremony," he said.

"Yeah?" Thor asked, beginning to speed up, his breathing heavy. "You like that idea? I have the right tools for that."

"Tools?"

He leant down to whisper in Loki's ear.

"Something to keep me nice and open. Get myself all wet and ready and then put it in. I'll spend the whole day imagining what it will be like to have your cock in me."

Loki gasped and moaned as Thor rolled them, onto their sides, reaching down to give him the friction he'd been seeking against the mattress.

"Such a beautiful one it is too," Thor murmured, stroking him, still thrusting. "Just right to fill me up, nice and deep and hard..."

Loki could feel himself growing closer, needing just a little more intensity.

"Faster," he managed.

Thor seemed to consider for a second.

"Harder?"

"Mmm... Mm, yes."

"OK, kneel up for me."

Loki whined as his cock slipped out, robbed of his climax, so close but so far as Thor eased him onto his hands and knees.

"Like this? Alright?"

"Just get back in me."

A chuckle at his demand but Thor was obeying to a point, teasing him by letting the head of his cock catch a few times before sliding inside once more.

He took a firm grip of Loki's hips, setting a faster pace, a harder one that had him crying out, reaching back to stroke his own cock.

"That's what you need, isn't it?"

It felt so good, every thrust pushing him closer to the edge, feeling like he was hanging on the precipice for a long time, seconds seeming like minutes, before he finally yelped and spilled onto the sheets, Thor barely two seconds behind him.

They fell into a jumble of limbs, limp and heavy, only just able to untangle themselves into something comfortable.

"Sound like a good plan to you?" Thor asked.

"A very good plan."


	50. Chapter 50

Since the rest of their clothes had just emerged from the ether as far as Loki was concerned, he was a little surprised to be summoned to a tailor to have his wedding outfit crafted.

Maybe they wanted to see how the cloth would move while in motion. They made him walk up and down a room several times, making notes.

He didn't much like what they were making. It wasn't leather, thankfully, but it was heavy, made from layers and layers of dark fabric. It billowed around him and they experimented with tying it with belts in different places, around his waist and hips, his chest.

Eventually, they seemed satisfied, producing an enormous pair of shears to cut away the excess, leaving him with a sort of flowing tunic and strange, full trousers ready to be seamed.

It seemed a very inefficient way of creating it. Wasteful for one thing. He'd have had his ears boxed for allowing such a thing in the factory. But when he asked, they simply said it was tradition. It symbolised something about the end of his old life, having it cut away as he became part of Asgard's royalty.

Given the first two decades of his life already sometimes felt like someone else's memories, he was a little struck by it, both how minimally it applied to him really and how strange it must be to give up your life and be subsumed into something greater than oneself.

The first of many sacrifices, he supposed.

"When exactly do most people find out about the bleeding?" he asked Thor.

"The morning after the marriage. When they're taken down to the altar for the first time. But, of course, there's a lot in the ceremony about swearing your life to Asgard so it's not really a surprise. It's our culture, I suppose. Dedication to the realm. Besides, I hope my ancestors might have warned them in advance, if they loved their spouses."

"Did your mother know? Do you think she would have married your father if she did?"

That was an uncomfortable question, evidently.

"I hope so. I hope he told her."

Loki very carefully did not mention her predecessor's demise.

"I suppose I'm walking in with my eyes open too," he said instead. "Can you imagine waking after your wedding night and then being taken there with no idea what was about to happen?"

The very thought made him shiver. And then of course he imagined a young Thor being taken there. How frightening it must have been for a child.

"Did they tell you in advance?"

He genuinely seemed to have to think about it.

"I certainly knew something happened. I think... I think Hela probably alluded to it a little. Frightened me with talk of needles and blood probably. And I was scared the first time, even though it was just a finger prick. And once that was over, it didn't seem so bad. Building up slowly. It's only in retrospect that I realise what it really means. How dangerous it is. But a lot of things are like that."

Maybe he was right. Sometimes Loki dreamt of the mill, the most familiar building of his life, and was amazed that he'd ever considered it normal to scamper around beneath the machines, seconds from a gruesome death.

But he'd been born into it. It had been normal. And then pulling turnips had been normal. And then digging through refuse.

And now living in a palace.

The day of the wedding crept ever closer. Despite how often they assured one another that it was just a formality, Loki couldn't help but think that they were both nervous and growing more so.

Even Shuri noticed.

"You're absolutely sure they're not forcing you to say you're alright?" she asked. "Blink rapidly if I need to come and get you."

"We're fine," Thor said, his damaged hand loosely curled round Loki's. "It's just we're rather going to be centre of attention tomorrow. I've spent quite a lot of time trying not to be."

"Oh, I bet you'll love it really. And I assume the food will be good, right?"

"If you like that kind of thing."

"We'll feel better once it's over probably," Loki said, squeezing Thor's hand. "And after... the other thing. Everyone will calm down."

He didn't believe it himself, even as he was saying it. He still wasn't convinced Thor's family were going to give up without a fight.

"We should try to read that document," he said out loud, not really meaning to.

Shuri paused in whatever she was doing - it looked very complicated - pointing at the screen with an ornate set of pliers.

"You mean you have access to it?" she asked. "Why haven't you read it weeks ago?"

"Well, Frigga said she was re-archiving it. I don't know if we'd even be allowed in."

"What's the point of being princes if you don't use that to your advantage? Think of a plausible excuse. It's easy."

It was fortunate she was the youngest of her siblings. She'd be a terrible influence.

And maybe Loki would be too because now the idea was in his head and refusing to leave.

"We could say I'm curious to know more about Asgard if anyone asks," he said. "They might like that."

Thor seemed a little more pensive, but the curiosity was clear in his face, his eyes moving back and forth like he was trying to read a problem into this plan.

"Didn't Hela take it?" he asked.

Ah. Yes. She had, hadn't she?

"We could always check. Maybe she put it back. Or didn't manage to get it in the first place."

A little pleading gazing and Thor sighed.

"I guess it won't hurt to look," he said.


	51. Chapter 51

Brunnhilde followed them with a degree of scepticism.

"You want to visit the archive?" she asked. "Why?"

Loki assumed an air of nonchalance, an easy mask to wear. It was easier to pretend you belonged somewhere with a little bit of confidence.

"I'm about to marry into this land's royals. I ought not be so ignorant of it."

"I'm sure Thor could give you a potted history, but whatever. You're the about-to-be prince."

Was she going to look over their shoulders the whole time? If this was Thor's family's private records, maybe she wouldn't be allowed to.

It seemed that was the case. Or maybe she just wasn't interested. She took up a spot by the door instead. Loki was pretty sure she was communicating with someone outside of Asgard. Maybe this was mutually beneficial privacy.

This part of the library wasn't quite as he expected. There weren't the same organised shelves, but drawers that rotated outwards at Thor's touch.

"I don't suppose you know who wrote it?" Thor asked. "Or when?"

"Afraid not. Your mother just said it was old, that's all. And unreadable. Is there a section on that?"

Apparently not, but Thor had a clue all the same.

"If they knew about the sacrifices, whoever they are, they must be family," he said. "We can look back in the older personal papers."

Some of this stuff was fragmentary, pieces of paper suspended in glass to preserve them. How anyone could make out anything from them, Loki didn't know.

They didn't find it. Instead, they found a gap. A place where something ought to be. A folder made from some kind of transparent fabric, a note written on it in silver ink.

_Kjaere. In code - certified Borr. Frigga._

"Well, Borr was my grandfather," Thor said. " But I've never heard of this Kjaere person. So either it's very old or..."

He didn't finish that thought, but Loki could guess what he was thinking; that maybe they weren't talked about at all. They'd been shunned through history for daring to question the sacrifices.

"Can we look elsewhere? Will there be lists? An accessible family tree?"

"There should be, but... Well, the moment you go back a little way, even on the direct line, there are often many aunts, uncles and cousins. It'll take a while. And we only have a vague time period."

Hmm. A vague time period and not nearly enough time.

"How easy would it be to alter them? Maybe it's obvious. A place where someone should be but isn't, like the paper?"

Thor agreed it was worth a shot, but they didn't seem able to spot it. If the name had been removed, someone had done a good job of leaving little trace.

Still, they had a name now, if nothing else. And the knowledge that Hela had indeed taken the document. Maybe it was still in her possession. Or maybe she'd destroyed it, of course. Frigga knew how suspicious it would be to leave an empty space, but Hela was impulsive and might act rashly.

A great shame if she had. Loki rather wanted to read the whole thing. To avenge the mysterious Kjaere when they were proven right.

"Is there any way we could... break into her rooms?" he asked.

Thor chuckled, but without much humour.

"I'd rather not risk her wrath."

Hm. Yes, that was a fair point. It wasn't like there would be a plausible excuse for being there for one thing.

Still, the thoughts refused to leave his head over dinner, his eyes flicking to Hela in suspicion. Had she just concealed it somewhere? Or destroyed it? Could she have been so short-sighted?

"Are you prepared for the wedding?" Frigga asked, surprising him out of his thoughts.

"I, er..." he stammered, thinking of Thor's proposed preparations. "I have been provided with a suitable outfit, yes."

"Good. Of course, you will spend tonight in your prior chambers."

He blinked at her a moment.

"You mean the room in which I was held prisoner?"

Thor folded his arms next to him, shaking his head.

"No," he said. "Not happening."

Frigga put down her fork with a deliberate clinking sound.

"It is an unusual case, certainly, but fiances are not to see each other in the morning before the marriage. It is tradition."

Of course it was.

"I don't care. He stays with me."

Loki appreciated Thor's defence, but sometimes, he felt, you had to pick your battles.

"It's fine," he said. "I'll go. It's just for one night, after all. And it's part of the ceremony."

It was quite clear that Thor was furious about this, as he fell into sullen silence, sweeping Loki into his arms for a passionate kiss at the end of the meal that had him swooning and blushing in equal measure.

Brunnhilde attached herself to him rather than Thor.

"Do you sleep outside our rooms even?" he asked her. "You're always here at night and in the morning too."

"Of course not," she said. "But I stand watch until I am relieved perhaps an hour after you generally retire. Unfortunately for me, my life mainly revolves around you at present. But not completely."

He wondered whether or not to ask her about the universe beyond and decided he should, just in case he didn't get another chance.

"Do you miss it?" he asked. "Bijmu and all that?"

She looked at him with distrust, apparently wondering how this might be used against her.

"Not Bijmu," she said eventually. "It's a total dive. But... some other places. Maybe."

"Other people?"

If she wasn't charged with watching him, he got the distinct feeling a weapon might be pointed at him.

"Who the fuck have you been talking to?" she hissed.

"No one. Just you always seem to be typing on your little glass device. I wondered if you were talking to... a friend."

Her eyes had narrowed and showed no sign of relaxing.

"That's none of your business."

He held up his hands, trying to placate.

"You're right. It's not. I'm sorry. Just... curious, that's all. Goodnight."

The door closed behind him with a heavy, familiar clunk.

At least they'd cleaned up Thor's blood since the last time he was here, he supposed.


	52. Chapter 52

Frigga came for him the next morning, the blue wedding outfit held in her arms like a precious, fragile thing.

"Are you marrying my son for the right reasons?" she asked, without so much as a greeting.

Loki wasn't particularly alert, a restless night without Thor, nightmares where his rescue had been a dream and he was still trapped here alone, of chopped off fingers and vases of blood.

"What are the wrong reasons?" he asked.

She paced, anxious.

"Desire for power," she said.

Given he hadn't even known Thor was a prince when they met... He decided he might as well be honest all the same.

"I'm marrying him because it's required in order to win our freedom," he said. "I need to sacrifice to prove us right, I need to be royal to sacrifice, I need to marry Thor to become royal. It's a fairly simple equation. And I love him, I suppose. And I believe he loves me in return."

"You will have to swear loyalty to Asgard as well as to him."

"And what better way to serve the kingdom than to prevent further loss of life among the royal family?"

She still didn't seem fully convinced. He supposed he could ask her a pointed question, since she was here.

"Did you know about the sacrifices before you married Odin?"

She let out a shuddering sigh, her nails digging into the fabric reflexively.

"Yes. He told me. And he told me that was what killed Adelsk, too. I knew the risks."

"So why did you still marry him?"

"Because I love him. Because I love Asgard. The idea of being able to give of myself, to give to the land in that way... It's a great privilege. Or so I thought. At first."

Her lips were pressed together, turning them white, shaking her head a little.

"And now?" Loki pressed, knowing it was cruel. "What do you think of it now?"

She looked at him with eyes full of unshed tears, sharp at the same time.

"I think... that I have seen my husband close to death many times. That my step-daughter despises me even as I strive to protect her from her mother's fate. That my son..." and here her voice shook, cracked. "That I took my son's very lifeblood even from childhood for what might be a lie. And even hoping that it is so, hoping that you are right is close to treason."

He did not know what to do. He had seen weeping before, of course, but... Well, ought he try to comfort her? Touching seemed presumptuous at best.

A moment's sobbing and she seemed to get a grip on herself. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"You'll be washed and dressed presently and you will speak to Wakanda before the ceremony. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Washed?" he asked as she laid down the clothes. "What do you mean, washed?"

She didn't reply, but he soon found out when a group of women arrived, giggling and excited. They had basins of water, perfumed and warm.

"Don't worry," one of them said. "You don't have to be naked. Just nearly so."

Loki tried his best not to be embarrassed as they made him stand in just his small clothes to allow them to carefully sponge his skin, the outside of his arms and then the inside of his wrists, his legs, his back, even his chest. It wasn't so much washing as making him smell, the perfume something like wood smoke or peat, rich and earthy and warm.

They did wash his hair though, tilting his head back over their basin, strong and almost rough fingers working his scalp. It couldn't have been more different to Thor's technique when they bathed together.

They attempted a braid but found it didn't work, settling on sweeping his hair back severely, trimming away the ends of it.

He even had to submit to being dressed, prohibited from so much as tying his own shoes.

Brunnhilde seemed grudgingly impressed when she saw him. Perhaps he scrubbed up well by Asgardian standards.

"Alright, ladies," she said, standing to the side to let them pass her. "Leave some of him for his husband."

More giggling and Loki found himself trying his best not to blush too easily.

"I'm to visit Heimdall, I gather," he said.

"We can't have Wakanda invading during the speeches. Come on."

Heimdall was listening politely to Shuri as she spoke at several hundred miles an hour. Then again, he was used to absorbing information very quickly.

"Oh, there he is," she said, catching sight of him entering. "Wow. Thor wasn't kidding about the traditional outfits, huh?"

"How was he?" Loki asked. "One night apart felt like a long time."

"He seemed... nervous, I suppose. But that's quite normal, I imagine."

Loki certainly was having occasional moments of panic gripping his stomach. This was his wedding day. Repeating the fact didn't make it any less surreal.

"It's just a formality," he said. "But they haven't really told me what to expect except swearing loyalty and so on. Being in front of so many people though..."

"You'll do fine," she insisted. "And you'll feel better once it's over and done with."

He sincerely hoped she was right.


	53. Chapter 53

There was hubbub already in the great hall. People were excited. Even Brunnhilde seemed a little restless, a little anxious.

"Have you been to one of these before?" Loki asked.

"Not on this scale."

"What do I do?"

"Don't worry. I'll lead."

She took hold of his wrist and gently looped a soft rope around it, a rather alarming gesture. He felt like a lamb being led to slaughter.

Something was happening, a cheering inside and the doors opened. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes by the look of things, a rainbow of colour. Brunnhilde set off, holding the rope loosely, letting him walk alongside her.

He could see Thor at least, wearing his most shiny armour and brightest cape, his heart giving a thump of relief. It ought to be a happy occasion, a recognition of a relationship that he'd never expected to have, but he felt so confused and unsure.

Taking the tether with an evident look of distaste, Thor instead slid his fingers over the loop to hold his hand, offering a little squeeze of reassurance.

Of course Odin was leading proceedings. Loki had almost expected a priest, but then again he hadn't seen much evidence of religion as such. Asgard was what they worshipped, he supposed.

"Loki of Midgard, today you have come here willingly to bind yourself to Prince Thor Odinson and the land of Asgard."

Was that a question or a statement? Was he supposed to say something? Why had no one explained to him what would happen?

"Prince Thor, do you understand the burden you lay upon your chosen spouse?"

Well, this seemed cheerful, didn't it?

"I understand," Thor said. Presumably they were meant to respond then.

"Do you each swear loyalty and confidence in one another until death separates you?"

Confidence as in confiding, that was clear. He was being asked to keep secrets. There were no questions about love or faithfulness between the couple; just the protection of the realm.

"We do."

Loki tried not to flinch as Odin reached out and tugged the rope, letting it dig into his flesh.

"Remember this feeling of being bound," he said. "For though the ties that connect you now are not physical, they are just as tight."

It left a mark on his skin, pink and tender. The first of many, he supposed.

But that seemed to be it. Thor removed the rope to the sound of cheers, though neither of them had yet recovered from the stress, it seemed.

The divide between not married and married felt like it out to be more defined, more noticable. Other than a slight bruise, Loki felt no different. Just a little numb, he supposed. A little... lost.

At least he was lost with Thor, who seemed equally perplexed as they walked out of the hall, hand in hand.

"That felt too easy," he murmured.

"We're yet to get through the afternoon and evening," Loki said. "The feast. Perhaps there will be speeches or something."

A vague nod.

"How's your wrist? It looked unnecessarily harsh."

"It'll be fine. How's your... You know?"

He glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one was within earshot, but Brunnhilde seemed to be giving them a little space, her eyes checking for threats as usual.

"My preparations?" Thor asked. "About the only thing getting me through today. Something to focus on and look forward to. A little secret just for us. We're not tamed yet, regardless of what they think."

Loki rather liked that. A sense of rebellion, hidden in plain sight.

Frigga was receiving congratulations with easy grace. Hela was conspicuous by her absence, not that Loki missed her. But still. She wasn't even pretending to be happy. People might talk.

And he was already thinking like one of the family, he realised.

"What do we do?" he asked. "It's a long time until dinner, I'd have thought."

"I suppose we promenade about and let people see our love. It's the kind of thing people like. And I wouldn't mind showing you off, of course."

Ah, flattery. There was a little mischief here though, a bit of fun. If they were to be bullied into playing these roles, they might as well play them well, Loki supposed. He let Thor place a chaste kiss against his knuckles, a little frisson of excitement in his heart at such romance, hearing murmurs of approval from round about.

It seemed human nature's desire to bask in reflected happiness hadn't dimmed particularly over the centuries.

It was like they had each swallowed a lodestone, unable to move apart, Thor's hand almost constantly at the small of Loki's back.

They looked every inch a young couple in love. Which they were, of course, but this show was all pretend. Playing roles for the crowd.

It was flattering all the same to see the little wistful looks and sighs in their direction, equally for himself as well as for Thor. Mainly young ladies, but he was flattered nonetheless. In fact, it made him a little bold.

"Do you see them?" he murmured in Thor's ear. "Over to the right, dressed in silver? They like the look of you."

Thor glanced and glanced away in a heartbeat, the subtlety he'd learned on the run coming into play. Seeing without being seen to look.

"I'm now a happily married man," he said. "Pretty faces don't so much as register."

"I don't doubt that. I was just wondering what they'd think if they knew about _everything_ you were wearing right now."

A quirk of his eyebrows, a slow blink.

"Oh, I think some of them would take it rather well."

Quite possibly. Loki had after all.

A little flirtation helped to distract them up until dinner, Thor letting out a distinctly interesting sigh as they sat down.

Otherwise, the family was silent. Awkward. No Hela still. And since in the back of Loki's mind he knew what the morning would bring, he was following Thor's advice and drinking a lot of water.

"Hela didn't want to be here, then," Thor said. Didn't even ask, just stated.

"We thought it might be for the best to allow her to stay away," Frigga said softly.

Loki imagined her hiding away, sitting alone up in her rooms, hearing the revelry down below, fuming and raging and being ignored. He almost felt sorry for her.

"Perhaps, in time, she'll get used to me," he said, maybe with a little too much melancholy in his voice.

Thor frowned and reached an arm around him, comforting.

"She's stubborn," Odin said. "And these last weeks have been an adjustment for everyone. Give her some time. We are slow to adjust, culturally and personally. And with the... experiment we are about to embark on and what it might mean for the future..."

For one so zealous, it would shake her to the core, Loki supposed.

Thor squeezed his hip gently.

"It's a big day tomorrow," he said. "Could we slip away after dessert?"

"Of course."

Another little sigh as Thor shifted to reach for the water carafe. Loki felt the tiniest stirring of desire within himself, just thinking of what Thor was feeling.

There were certainly less enjoyable ways to be distracted.


	54. Chapter 54

"This may have been a mistake," Thor muttered as they departed, the party still in full flow behind them.

A little bit of fear shot through Loki's heart. Regrets already? And what about - the marriage in general or Loki himself? He'd always been such a free spirit; perhaps he was already resenting even this most technical of marriages?

"What do you mean?" Loki asked, trying to sound calm.

"I've never worn a plug this long. I might have... dried out a bit."

Oh! Loki flushed deep red immediately, embarrassed both by the casual way Thor mentioned such things and at where his mind had immediately leaped. Always so pessimistic.

"Will you be alright?" he asked. "It's not too uncomfortable?"

"Yeah. I'll just need a little more preparation than I was hoping for."

Loki's body was alight with excitement as they closed the door behind them, finally blissfully alone, the sounds of celebration distant and unobtrusive. And Thor was smiling at him, kissing him, beginning the long removal of layer after layer of fabric.

He'd forgotten the perfume, Thor inhaling against his skin with every press of his lips, rumbling in appreciation.

Had they done the same to him? Loki couldn't tell. All he could smell was Thor, a familiar, comforting scent.

"Do you want to see?"

"Yes..."

A chuckle and Thor was peeling off his trousers, leaning over the edge of the bed and angling himself just so, so Loki could catch a glimpse of a small, dark object nestled between his cheeks.

He reached out and drew his hand back quickly.

"Can I touch it?"

"Gently, yes."

He used only the softest brushes of his fingers. It was indeed a plug of some kind, a handle protruding from Thor's body, the rest of it hidden within.

"How big is it?"

Thor laughed.

"Not too large. Enough, though. If you get some slick, you can try taking it out."

He'd learned where it was, though he didn't know how it was being replenished. Perhaps one of the staff was discreet enough to simply replace as needed.

All the same, his heart was pounding as he pressed the switch to reveal the hidden cupboard and retrieved the bottle. He had absolutely no idea how to do this. What if he accidentally hurt him?

Well, more slick was better, he knew that much, liberally squeezing some into his palm and applying to the whole area, Thor flinching a little at the coldness.

"Firm, but gentle," he said. "But I'll say if it hurts."

Lips pressed together in concentration, Loki seized the handle and began to pull, adding more lubricant as he went. Thor huffed out a concerning sigh but then something gave and a flared end popped out, narrowing to a soft taper.

It was not overly thick, but the idea of holding it inside all day? It would be maddening.

And now he could properly look at Thor's hole, the delicate pink of it, a little loose and shiny with slick.

"Use your fingers if you like."

It felt so strange to be the one in this position. Thor was looking back over his shoulder, smiling encouragingly, inviting. It would be rude not to.

He was so warm inside. Firm. Loki was just exploring, a rush of want flowing through him when Thor moaned openly.

"Is that the good place?"

"Mmm... Mm, yeah."

"Can I...?"

"Of course. How do you want me?"

And wasn't that a question? He liked this view of Thor's behind very much, but he liked the rest of him too...

"On your back," he decided. "I'd like to see your face."

"I'd like to see yours."

He crawled up the bed, a shameless display as Loki strained in his trousers, only now taking them off as Thor flopped against the pillows. He looked so decadent. Ready to be filled, his arms and legs parted in welcome.

Nerves were definitely a factor now as Loki took his place kneeling between Thor's thighs. What if he wasn't good at this? What if he couldn't satisfy?

Thor tilted his head for kisses before reaching down and guiding Loki's cock to his entrance.

"Do what feels right," he said. "Don't overthink it. I can already see that brain of yours whirring away."

Not for long, Loki thought, the head of his cock suddenly engulfed in wet heat, stealing all sense from his mind for a moment. He tried pushing, amazed as Thor's body yielded to him, watching as his length vanished inside.

"You like that?" Thor asked. "Like seeing me take you?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I like taking you. I knew you'd feel good. Do it again, if you want. All the way out."

There was something almost miraculous about it, watching the ebb and flow of his body, repeating that first thrust a few times before Thor gripped his hips with his thighs.

"OK," he murmured. "Stop teasing. I'm ready."

Loki swallowed hard.

"I'll do my best."

Thor's kisses helped relax him, at least. Ready to try.


	55. Chapter 55

At first, it was almost overwhelming. Loki felt his jaw drop, heard his own gasping breath.

And then he remembered to open his eyes and see Thor smiling at him, his eyes narrowed slightly in pleasure.

"Good?" he breathed.

Loki could only sigh in response. And so Thor laughed, reaching for his face to pull him into kisses.

It was like his body knew what it was doing, even if he didn't. Or maybe Thor was steering, he wasn't sure. He knew the _mechanics_ of course, having been on the other side, he knew what felt good, but there was no room in his mind for attempting technique. His mind was instead just full of good and Thor and happiness.

Somehow, he fell into a slow rhythm, like waves crashing upon a shore, strong and steady, leaning his forehead against Thor's, every place they touched seeming alight with sensation.

There was no rush. He'd expected his body to feel desperate, to be striving towards climax immediately, a feeling he knew well now, but instead he felt very calm. Like he could do this forever. Like he wanted to.

At least, that's how he felt until Thor's whole body clenched around him, grinning up at him and changing the angle with a swivel of his hips.

"Impatient?" Loki asked.

"Just keen."

And the little moan he let out on Loki's next thrust seemed to break some kind of internal dam that had been holding back his arousal.

It felt like he was close instantly. And so he tried desperately to hold back, to make it good for Thor, but already he could feel it building.

"Let go, sweetheart," Thor murmured. "It's OK."

No, it wasn't, he wanted to...

"Come on, let me feel it..."

"Ah! Hah!"

Even Thor's soft kisses couldn't soothe the bruises on his ego.

"You're not finished..."

"I'm almost there. Use your hand."

It didn't take long before he spilled, but Loki still felt a little inadequate, even as Thor pulled him close, warm and soft.

"Everyone's first try goes fast. Don't worry about it."

"I wanted it to be perfect."

Thor looked at him very seriously, stroking his hair.

"It was perfect," he murmured. "It was you."

That was disgustingly sweet, but he clearly meant it and that made Loki's heart do strange things. Warm fluttering. Squeezing, but in a good way.

"Alright," he said. "I suppose."

Thor kissed the top of his head.

"I love you."

"Mm. Love you too."

It was nice to be held. It was perhaps also nice to be married, in a strange way.

It was decidedly less nice to wake up and know exactly what awaited him.

Thor was still sleeping peacefully, splayed out across the bed as usual. They were still getting used to mattresses. More than once, Thor had rolled almost off the bed, so accustomed to there not being an edge.

Out of curiosity, Loki slipped beneath the blanket, sneaking his way down between Thor's legs.

Other than a slight stain upon the sheets and maybe a hint of relaxation in his muscles, there was little evidence of what they'd done. And that was good. He wouldn't want it to be obvious to others, for instance, but still. The way people talked about sex, you'd think it left a permanent mark.

Thor stirred suddenly, catching him, lifting up the covers to see him.

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing. Just looking at you."

His lips quirked in a smile.

"I suppose that's allowed. Husband."

Hmm. He was going to have to get used to that.

"I have to sacrifice today," he said, feeling a little like a child hiding from monsters.

Thor pulled him up into his arms, gazing at him, his eyes enormous and worried.

"It's nothing to be scared of," he said. "I'll be with you. You'll be alright. And afterwards, I have every intention of spoiling you rotten."

That did sound nice.

He sighed gently, cuddling in.

"The sooner I do it, the sooner it's done."

That seemed to be becoming something of a motto for them.


	56. Chapter 56

Time had not made the depths of the palace less frightening it turned out.

On their way, they had passed Frigga, getting a knowing nod from her, eyes steely and sure. Not exactly checking they were following through, but effectively achieving that.

Brunnhilde didn't seem sure at all about letting them enter the chamber alone again, but she didn't say anything. She was dutiful above all else.

The still air around the blood-letting machine had an odd, ferrous smell. Burnt metal. Iron. It made Loki feel slightly nauseous. Or maybe that was just the fear.

The slab seemed enormous, liable to crush him if it fell. He even felt nervous about turning his back on it, feeling uncomfortably naked for being obliged to remove half his clothes, even though it was only Thor seeing him.

God knew, he'd seen more than this.

"How do these...? The straps?"

"Let me help," Thor said.

Loki fought to keep his breathing steady as they methodically bound him down, the leather belts soft against his skin up until the last one, the one on his arm, which was uncomfortably tight.

"Make a fist," Thor said. "It'll... It'll help."

The sudden motion of the mechanism made him cry out in surprise, feeling his body lifted off the ground, held in place. Even if he struggled, he couldn't be free he didn't think.

And then the metal arm was there, looming over him, moving down his skin with a slight graze like a dreadful fingernail, stopping around his inner elbow.

At least it was quick. A scratch, a bite, over before he knew it, not even time to wince really.

"See?" Thor asked. "See, it's nothing. It'll be over soon."

Loki couldn't bear to look, but he could hear it. The patter of liquid against metal, a steady flow.

"You're doing so well," Thor said.

He tried to focus on something else, a random point in the ceiling, something, anything...

There was a distinct iron taste in his mouth, like he was about to vomit. His heartbeat was in his ears, loud and rushing, like a waterfall. And he felt very warm.

And the world was spinning a little...

"Thor..."

"Try to tense your leg muscles. Tighten your thighs."

It was like his body wasn't listening to him anymore. He tried, he squeezed, but his vision was separating into lots of separate cells, surrounded by dots of blackness, and while intellectually, he knew that was Thor standing over him, he couldn't hear him or understand what to do...

His feet were in the air suddenly, something cold behind his neck. And the needle was gone. Instead, he had a small dressing.

"He's back with us," Brunnhilde said, her voice far away and strange. "In the land of the living."

She seemed tense, worried. She seemed to be... fanning him.

"What happened?" Loki asked.

His mouth was horribly dry, but Thor seemed to have water. Oh, he wanted water but he didn't seem to be able to reach for it...

Of course. His arm was strapped down. And he was inverted.

"We're going to get you the right way up, sweetheart," Thor said. "You let me know right away if you feel sick again."

He didn't exactly feel alright, but the thirst was worse that that. He just closed his eyes as they pushed the slab until he was lying just upward from horizontal.

Thor practically ripped the belt from his arm, letting him take the cup.

"Small sips," he said. "Go gentle on yourself. You just had a little faint. It happens."

Loki frowned at him. Fainted?!

"It was only a little blood," he said, a touch reproachfully.

Thor smiled at him, touching his forehead with deliciously cool fingers.

"Happens to the best of us. Especially when you're not used to it. It's... frightening. Your body panics, thinks it's losing too much blood and... Whoops."

"Will one of you please explain what is going on here?" Brunnhilde demanded.

Oh. Yes.

But they weren't meant to tell her.

Well, Loki was nothing if not a rebel.

"Blood sacrifice. The royals have been doing it for generations. It's one of many reasons they had you hunt for Thor so voraciously."

Maybe he was feeling better if his brain was able to produce 'voraciously' from the depths of his vocabulary.

"Why?" she asked. "Why do they do this?"

"My family believe this is what makes Asgard prosperous" Thor sighed. "They think it keeps the land fertile, staves off famine and so on. We're trying to prove them wrong. It's a long story."

Loki kept sipping his water carefully as he watched Thor take the vessel of his blood up to the sacrificial torch.

"It's not full," he said. "That's not a pint."

"It's enough," Thor insisted.

"Hela won't think so."

"Well, maybe we just won't tell her."

That was a good option.

The blood hissed as he poured it onto the flames, Brunnhilde shaking her head in apparent horror, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"This is what you were running from," she said, her voice almost cracking. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"I wasn't running _from_ anything," Thor said. "I was running _towards_ freedom. The universe beyond with all its wonders, its sights and sounds and tastes. Its people. The things you and I know about that those people out there in Asgard only hear fragments about. I want us to be more open as a realm. Take our place at the galactic table."

She hesitated, still reeling perhaps.

"Will they be able to cope?" she asked. "It's a big, scary world out there."

"You coped," Thor said. "And besides, it doesn't have to be all at once. I just want to make them aware of the bars on the cage. Let them decide if they want to see what it's like out there."

Loki started to undo the belts, even though he still didn't quite feel right.

"Can we get out of here?" he asked. "I think fresh air might help."

"Good idea," Thor said. "And we'll top up your electrolytes."

Loki had no idea what that meant, but presumably Thor knew what he was doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise I've made it sound very unpleasant here, so I'd just like to mention that I am pro-blood donation if you're able to. Just make sure you drink plenty of water first.


	57. Chapter 57

Well, electrolytes were delicious, it turned out. Like a rich, salty soup with a hint of sweetness to it. It reminded Loki of some of the dishes Shuri had introduced him to, though notably without the hot spices that she used.

"Feeling better?" Thor asked when he was almost finished.

"Mm. Much."

A little hint of a smile.

"Alright. Cool bath and then a gentle walk, I think."

It was strange to bathe in a different room from the usual wash room, but the plunge pool was wonderful. Cool, not cold, seeming to sharpen up his senses where they were maybe still a little fuzzy.

Bizarrely, he felt like he'd been through some kind of rite of passage. Like despite fainting, he'd managed to prove himself.

He could see how that feeling could be enticing and addictive even. The sense of helping, of being special and important. In another life, if he'd been born to Asgard, he would feel blessed to have been chosen by Thor, to be raised up to royal rank and then to be given the opportunity to serve.

The little dressing at his elbow was almost invisible but he still felt like it was a badge of honour.

Not that Hela seemed to think so. She openly inspected it during a rare midday meeting.

"It's happened, then?" he asked.

"And Asgard still stands," Loki said. "So I must have the right kind of blood, I suppose."

"Ten percent of Asgardians have it," she said, dusting pepper over her food. "Pure luck of the genetic draw."

Frigga and Odin seemed much more pleased, toasting him, and he felt an odd surge of pride for having impressed them.

Perhaps it was just the novelty of that sort of parental attention. Even though he knew the real aim here was to destroy this system, to stop the sacrifices as unnecessary and dangerous, it was still nice.

And Thor seemed proud of him too, in between the worry. Apart from the fact that he seemed convinced his legs were going to give out at any second, it was all rather gratifying.

"I'm fine," Loki said as they made their way to Heimdall's watchtower. "Really. I'm alright."

"Just let me fuss. It makes me feel better."

Alright. Maybe it was nice to be fussed over just a little.

Of course, he had to allow Shuri to question him too and she was asking things he didn't know the answers to.

"How do they sterilise things?" she asked.

"I... Er..."

"Heat," Thor said. "Superheating the needles."

"And do you actually mean there's no phlebotomist?"

"No what?" Loki asked.

"A person who takes blood for testing or whatever. Yes, machines are useful, but a machine by itself... Well, I'd want another pair of eyes."

"It's a private affair," Thor said. "I'm still getting used to talking about it to be honest. So, no, there's no nurse or anything. Generally it is a... personal moment."

"So what happens if you faint while you're in there alone?"

That was a fear that hadn't entered Loki's head. He'd been sure that he wasn't alone, but Thor must have been before. And he seemed to know a lot about how to deal with fainting...

"Has that happened to you?" Loki asked, watching as he squirmed a little.

"Once or twice."

"And what happens? What does it do with no one to stop the machine?"

"It just... It tips you to help get blood up to your head and it just... carries on. Until you've given a pint. And after a little while, you wake up."

The very thought made Loki feel sick. He could see it so clearly in his mind's eye, Thor hanging limp while his blood continued to flow.

"That's so dangerous," Shuri breathed. "It's a good thing you're sorting that out. When do you get started on that?"

"Soon," Thor said nodding. "I don't want you having to do that again."

It didn't seem so bad at a distance, but then again, could he really face it for the rest of his life? Could he face Thor going through it over and over again?

No, it was vital that they prevailed.

"You're going to face resistance," Shuri said, sounding wise beyond her years.

"I know," Thor said. "And maybe I'm even... Part of me still almost believes in it, you know? Intellectually, I know we're right, but... I'm scared."

It was odd that he hadn't voiced this before. Maybe he'd wanted to protect Loki from it in some way, to pretend that all was well, but still, it was almost shocking to hear him express some fear.

"What do you think will happen?" Loki asked.

A sigh, a squeeze of his shoulder.

"I don't know. I'm worried that we'll get blamed for anything that goes wrong. That my family will resent us. That my sister will never talk to me again."

"No offence," Shuri said. "But your sister doesn't seem like someone you'd necessarily want to talk to much."

Heimdall chuckled from the other side of the room. Sometimes Loki forgot he was present during these little meetings.

"She's still my sister," Thor said. "And, no, we don't get on, but she's... Only the two of us know what it's like to be Odinson and Odinsdottir. I don't want to shut her out of my life. This is a second chance for me and my family to redevelop a relationship and I'm afraid of... messing it up."

Perhaps that made sense.

"We just have to be strong," Loki said. "One day, our names will be written in Asgard's history as the ones who ended this."

"Mm. I just hope it all goes to plan."


	58. Chapter 58

"Why didn't you tell me?" Loki asked softly as they walked beneath dappled sunlight in Frigga's private garden, Brunnhilde leaning against the walled entrance.

"What?"

"That you're frightened."

A little half smile, Thor covering his emotions in a way Loki had learned to recognise.

"I thought you knew. You seem to always know how I'm feeling these days. You know me better than anyone else."

"I know when you're hiding things, but that doesn't necessarily mean I know what exactly those things are."

It was fairly obvious that Thor didn't want to admit what he was feeling. Didn't want to be vulnerable. He'd spent so long being entirely self-reliant in emotional matters as well as everything else; it was going to be a hard habit to break, no matter how clear Loki made it that he was there to support him. Wanted to, even.

"I didn't want to worry you," Thor said. "You're already dealing with so much."

That was as sweet as it was infuriating.

"I can handle it, Thor. Trust me."

Blossoms swirled around them, falling to the floor, richly scented grasses beneath their feet sending perfume spinning upwards.

"What, you want me to talk about it now?" Thor asked.

"Why not?"

"Putting me on the spot a little is all."

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Like he was wondering where to start.

"We weren't always at loggerheads, you know?" he said. "Hela and me. She never particularly liked me I don't think, but... Well, I can hardly blame her for that. She lost her mother and then Father remarried rather quickly. She's always resented that and so me by extension. But she did like being the older sister, even if she'd never admit it. She was even... proud of me, I suppose."

"In what way?"

"Well, I was strong. Good at drills and all that. Between the two of us, we could practically take on the rest of the army in a spar. But where I looked out of Asgard and saw adventure and opportunity, she saw only risks and danger. She's a lot more like Father in that way."

He'd spent so long hiding his past and now it was pouring from him. Tales of wanting to catch up to her, wanting to match her skills, how fervently she had disagreed with his desire to go out into the world.

"That's when it really changed," Thor said. "When I started to talk about leaving. She suddenly became very suspicious that this was some ruse to undermine Asgard, that Mother and I had been planning it for years. I can only imagine how she's been since I ran."

"Probably much as she is now," Loki said. "But I'm sure your mother can handle it. They were united when they first inspected me, for one thing. Perhaps they've learned to work together over the years."

"Either way, now I'm back trying to stop a tradition dating back hundreds of years. Proving her right."

They walked in silence for a few steps, only interrupted by birdsong and buzzing insects flitting from flower to flower.

"We could really use that document," Loki said.

"It doesn't prove anything. We'll still need tangible evidence."

Loki scratched at his arm, the adhesive on the dressing itching slightly.

"Then should we start gathering that? Evidence."

"What kind?"

"Well... Well, if the sacrifices are necessary, there should be noticeable effects. We should go through the records so we can compare this year to others. An average to help level out any little slips, prevent a freak occurrence skewing things."

Thor slipped an arm around his waist.

"This is why I love you, you know," Thor said.

"Oh, and here I was thinking it was because of my natural charms."

"Those too."

Gathering evidence could wait, he felt.

"I believe... there was some talk of spoiling me today."

Thor chuckled.

"There was, wasn't there?"

His hand slipped lower, down to Loki's hip, steering him behind a tree, moving him up against it and leaning in to kiss his neck.

"Mm... Mm, not here," Loki said. "We're too exposed."

"Brunnhilde can't see."

"But the palace..."

The windows seemed to be looking down on them like giant eyes.

Thor sighed, nosing against the side of his face.

"You're right," he murmured. "Of course you're right. But one day, I promise you. Somewhere else."

It sounded nice. A faraway planet, all alone, free and unobserved.

"Shall we go inside?" Loki asked.

Thor took his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

"I think so, yes."


	59. Chapter 59

Brunnhilde rolled her eyes as they made their way inside with evident purpose, but she seemed more troubled by something else.

"How long have you been trying to stop this?" she asked. "These sacrifices?"

"Since we returned from Wakanda," Thor said. "Since you were assigned to us. We found... Well, Loki read an ancient scroll or something that cast doubt upon it. And you must admit, there's not much sense in it. There's not much explanation, it's just... something that happens."

"And where is this scroll now?"

"Hela has it," Loki said. "Or maybe she's destroyed it. We don't know. Of course, if we could get into her rooms..."

"Loki..." Thor said, warning.

"I'm merely saying. Besides, you're meant to be particularly considerate to me today."

"I'm _considering_ that we established that trying to steal anything from my sister is a sure way to lose parts of ourselves that we are rather attached to. Besides, we have... other business to attend to."

Ah. Yes, they did, didn't they?

Even Loki's whirling mind could be distracted when he had Thor kissing his way down his body, nibbling playfully at his skin and running his hands over all he could reach.

"Shall we try again?" Thor asked. "Now there is less pressure?"

"Mm? What?"

"You taking me. Or I could continue right here..."

Loki wasn't sure what he wanted. Couldn't think with Thor's breath hot on his flesh.

He laughed, running his tongue up Loki's cock.

"I'll follow my instincts," he said.

They served him well. The heat, the strength of his tongue even, had Loki moaning and writhing against the sheets.

It still amazed him that such an act was possible and that Thor was so eager to indulge in it with him, his gold hair tickling Loki's thighs.

It was the humming that made him somehow go weak at the knees while horizontal. A sound of enjoyment and happiness that sent such strange vibrations through Loki's whole being. He found himself reaching down, trying to touch, to stroke Thor's head in encouragement.

Thor looked up, his eyes bright and crinkled in a smile, his mouth full, looking so pleased with himself and yet decadent at the same time.

"Hmm?" he questioned.

"Don't stop."

Laughter right against his skin put shockwaves through him, his legs jerking in surprise, feeling himself being gently dragged towards climax, little by little by little but inescapably.

When did it suddenly go from enjoyable to intense? He wasn't sure. He just knew that suddenly he was gasping and struggling not to thrust upwards into Thor's mouth, that perfect, engulfing heat.

"I'm close," he warned. "Oh, Thor..."

Well, he certainly felt suitably spoiled afterwards, warm and comfortable and sated, lounging like some ancient king as Thor crawled up the bed, apparently in no rush to see to his own wants.

And come to think of it...

"I still haven't done that with you," Loki said, trying to push himself up. "Let me try."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to."

Thor shook his head in happy exasperation, shrugging.

"Alright," he said. "But go slow. Don't hurt yourself."

He liked being cared for, but he didn't appreciate being patronised. This was going to be much easier; he wouldn't have his body distracting him.

He crawled down the bed, tugging off Thor's trousers, appraising his erection a little.

Hmm. Well. Alright, so getting all of that in his mouth might be a bit of a challenge, but he'd learned plenty of other tricks.

Thor let out a happy sigh at his first lick, encouraging him to try sucking on just the head.

"Mmm... Mm, that's nice."

He could even taste Thor's pleasure, a bitterness, salt.

Not entirely pleasant, he had to admit... But there was a sense of love here, of giving. Not to get too romantic about having a member in one's mouth...

And there was power here too. He was in charge, Thor was letting him take control, explore at his own pace. No pressure, no expectations.

Other than the expectations he had of himself to take to this immediately, of course.

"Hey, careful," Thor said. "Use your hand as well."

Loki let him go to speak.

"You don't use your hand."

"But I've had more practice. Be gentle with yourself."

It just made him more determined to succeed, leaning forward to take as much as he could, sucking hard and bobbing his head.

Alright, maybe it was easier to use his hand as well but the reaction was good too, a moan filling his ears.

He was doing that. He was managing to provoke that reaction. And he'd learn how to do it better. He was a quick learner.

"You're gonna make me... Ah, fuck..."

Thor was going to spill in his mouth. His own skill driving him to it, a rush of pride as he felt he could almost sense the pulses...

Oh.

Oh, no.

Well, that was vile.

He swallowed reflexively, gagging, complaining as Thor made sympathetic noises.

"I did try to warn you," he said.

"That's disgusting. Ugh!"

"Sorry. I've kind of got accustomed to it. Let me get you some water."

It helped. And after the initial surprise, Loki was soon back to being a little smug. He'd done that. He'd made Thor spill with just his mouth and his hand and his allure. And now he was being cuddled and kissed and held and everything was warm and soft.

Somehow this seemed like the strangest thing. That he had this, this intimacy with anyone, let alone a space prince from a family of oppressive royals who gave their blood for some kind of magical right to rule.

"What are you thinking about?" Thor asked.

"Unlikely situations."

"Ah."

And, most of the time, he was completely understood.

Life was very strange.


	60. Chapter 60

Breakfast the next morning was tense. Even more so than usual. Somethimg was clearly going on.

Odin cleared his throat, his hands clasped on the table.

"We've decided..." he said. "That is, your mother and I..."

"She's not my mother," Hela muttered.

"We have decided," Odin said firmly. "To begin the experiment now. When my usual sacrifice is due, I will not give it. And we shall see what happens."

To Loki's surprise, Hela didn't immediately begin shouting. She was very quiet and measured as she spoke. Like she was going into battle.

"And how long will this experiment last?"

"We will monitor Asgard carefully for any changes. And if there are none... Then potentially forever."

"And if catastrophe should befall us?"

"Then I will face the consequences."

She took his hand in both of hers, eyes large and worried.

"Father, you shouldn't have to do that. This was not your doing and the blame ought not to fall on you. Traitors ought to pay for their betrayals."

"I am king. I would not be doing this if I did not feel the risks were worth taking. This could be a turning point for our family. Neither you nor those who follow will suffer as I and your grandfather did. Can you not indulge an old man in trying to protect his children?"

He had lost people to this process. Given his eye to it. Loki wondered at how difficult it might be to discover it was all for nothing.

Perhaps he was drawing strength from the idea that he could spare his daughter and son the same pain.

"What will you be comparing it to?" he asked. "Or are you just waiting for the first thing to go wrong so you can go back to it?"

He considered mentioning how useful having Kjaere's text would be, but that would potentially get Hela into trouble and he didn't feel that was wise.

Then again, she hadn't exactly got into trouble for cutting off her brother's fingers so maybe it wouldn't.

"There are records," Odin said. "We are approachinh the growing season, the perfect time to watch over the land."

"Might we be allowed to see these records? I would hate for a slight natural variation to be misinterpreted as a disaster."

"I do not think it suitable for any of us to measure these things. We will have independent appraisals made."

Somehow, Loki did not believe that. He wanted to see it all for himself, even unofficially.

Thor wrapped an arm around his waist as they made their way towards Heimdall.

"We're winning," he murmured. "We're right and that will be proven."

Was he really trying to convince himself? Loki was aware that this was just as much of a leap of faith for him as it was the rest of his family.

"You'll know for sure that you didn't harm anyone by leaving."

Thor sighed gently.

"I hope so. Though I'm worried my family will never quite forgive me."

Loki thought about Frigga's words to him on the morning of the wedding, how despite her ruthlessness and steel demeanour she was really on their side.

"I'm sure they will."

Shuri was very pleased to see them, moreso than usual it seemed.

"I've finished your fingers," she sang. "Would you like a demonstration?"

They were much too big to fit her, but she was able to demonstrate on what seemed to be some kind of anatomical model, using wires connected to her forehead to make them flex and extend, along with the other features she'd built into it.

"Screwdriver, lamp, little miniature spoon. I thought about scissors or a very, very small laser but I thought the risks of accidents was too much."

Loki thought about having a cutting edge near extremely sensitive skin and crossed his legs.

"Thank you," Thor said. "I'm not sure when we'll be able to collect them though. Life is slow here."

She got a look on her face like she was about to suggest something dangerous. Loki had seen it a fair few times in their time together.

"I could come and visit you," she said. "I'd love to see Asgard. It sounds so pretty."

Thor had gone noticeably but subtly tense, gripping the desk tightly.

"We'd love that," Loki said carefully. "But I'm not sure it would be allowed. Maybe if you write to Odin, being very polite?"

Visibly not convinced, Thor nodded.

"Don't get your hopes up," he said. "We're already shaking things up around here. He might have reached his limits. But diplomacy is your best chance. I assume you've already cleared it with T'Challa?"

Her face told them everything.

"He's not the boss of me."

"No," Loki said, trying not to laugh. "But he might know the right language to use."

She sighed dramatically.

"Fine. Speak soon."

The screen went dark.

"What are the chances, Heimdall?" Thor asked. "What do you think?"

"I have worked for your father for decades," Heimdall said carefully. "So I think that he is certainly capable of surprises, rare though they may be."

Hmm. Maybe he was right.

Loki wasn't exactly holding his breath, though.


	61. Chapter 61

Tension was exhausting. It seemed never ending, all of them just waiting for something to happen.

Loki almost didn't notice how tiring it was until suddenly the yawns came or the muscle aches, the realisation that all day he'd been straining and on edge.

Of course, he and Thor found ways to relax themselves. Not just the obvious nude activities but also sharing showers, taking walks in the grounds, partaking in the music and literature that Asgard had to offer.

It was very... warlike. It must have been decades or centuries even since they'd last faced battle, and yet the tradition remained.

He quite liked the music though. The full sound spoke to him somewhere around his chest. Maybe just sympathetic vibrations, but all the same. It worked.

Loki had seen many hardships in his old life. He'd seen people hungry and sick and drunk. He had seen people trying to break the hold drink had on them. And that was what Odin reminded him of. The distracted eyes, the purposeless way he wandered in the times he would presumably normally be sacrificing. He seemed to be constantly touching the insides of his elbows, the place where the needle went in. Loki had noticed himself that it had itched as it healed.

It almost seemed like Odin's hadn't been allowed to heal for a very long time. And in observing him, Loki noticed other sites; his hands particularly. Like sometimes the machine had been unable to find a good spot on his arm and had turned to somewhere else.

It moved him, in an odd way, not least when he thought of Thor sharing that fate, of never knowing what it was to not have a small wound on his body.

He found himself drawn to the very same parts of Thor's body, the smooth skin there above his veins, healed scars, kissing them like his lips could convey a blessing to him, protection.

There was a neediness in him. And in Thor too, but he'd discovered the difference between the two types; Thor had a strong drive to protect, to feel needed and to know he was strong and reliable.

Loki's was closer to possessiveness. Thor was his and he burned a little with that knowledge, requiring reminders of it from time to time.

He tried to keep it in check. After all, there was no need for jealousy. Thor did not so much as look at anyone else.

Or maybe he was jealous of Asgard itself for daring to have a claim on him.

"What is it?" Thor would ask as Loki suddenly clung to him in the night, waking afraid that he was alone again.

"Nothing," he'd reply. "Just getting comfortable."

And then after a few moments, the heat from Thor's body would grow unbearable and he'd have to roll away, but feeling safe in the knowledge that he was there.

They talked about the future sometimes. Quite often, actually. But the reality seemed to be getting further and further away. Their set date of a few months was now a rolling "someday".

Loki was increasingly feeling trapped. And unlike the rest of Asgard, he could see the bars holding them in. If they were choosing to live here, that would be one thing, but the choice had been taken from them. That was what rankled.

At least on earth, he'd only been distantly aware of the world beyond. It had been far away, impossible, not within touching distance after a moment's flight through a wormhole.

At least Shuri shared their frustrations. T'Challa was not keen on her travelling to Asgard alone, insisting that should her request be granted, she ought to be accompanied by a member of their armed guard. She was unsure if Asgard would be amenable to such a condition.

"I mean, I'm harmless," she said. "There's no threat from me, but they are. It could cause tension."

"You are most certainly _not_ harmless," Thor said, laughing. "But perhaps... Perhaps a diplomat instead?"

"Have you any suitable people skilled in both warfare and statecraft?" Loki suggested.

Shuri's eyes widened, followed by her grin.

"Only T'Challa's girlfriend," she said. "Good idea. He'll be sure to cave in if she's watching over me."

They were causing him a lot of trouble, Loki felt. Still, at least it would shake the place up.

"We can work on my family," Thor said. "Mother I feel is curious about other realms and Father is perhaps coming round to the idea."

"And Hela?" Loki asked.

They hadn't seen much of her. She seemed to be pouring her frustrations into training and obsessive observation of the realm, looking for any sign of decline. To no avail, Loki assumed. She would not hide any evidence in her favour.

And maybe it was the fact that she was so often otherwise engaged and away from her rooms that tempted Brunnhilde to steal from her.


	62. Chapter 62

It was a bold heist, Loki would give her that. In and out in just the length of one of their conversations with Shuri, when she knew Hela was elsewhere and Heimdall was not watching.

Despite his being an ally, it seemed Brunnhilde didn't fully trust him.

"Come with me," she said, calmly to the point of near stillness. "And look casual."

She walked only a few steps in front of them, like she wasn't leading at all but simply knew where they were going, taking them to her private rooms.

Thor politely perched himself on the very edge of her couch.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Only then did the mask drop from Brunnhilde's face, a rare unguarded smile.

"I have it," she whispered. "I have the document."

To Loki's surprise, Thor reacted in panic.

"What? Here?! No, no, you have to put it back. She'll notice..."

"Give me some credit, Thor. I left it there, but I did take a picture."

She plugged her glass device into a wire, bringing up an image projected on a blank wall. The paper against a stone background - Hela's floor perhaps.

"It's a weird room," Brunnhilde said, centring the image with a few flicks of her fingers. "Really sterile. If the bed wasn't unmade, you'd swear no one ever went in there. But that meant it was easy to find something out of place. She'd hidden it in her wardrobe, not particularly well."

"And you put it back where you found it? Exactly where you found it?"

"Of course!"

Thor might not like this, but Loki was excited. Finally, they might get some answers.

"Have you a very large mirror?" he asked.

"No need," she said.

With just a few more presses, she reversed the whole image. The horrible, squirming letters resolved themselves into legible text.

And finally they could read the whole thing.

Thor leapt to his feet, rushing to Loki's side, taking his hand. Even the opening line was rather... striking.

_I have chosen to write this in a cryptic manner as I seriously fear for my life. If you read this when I am gone, please heed my words. I know I am right._

_When I first married into this family, I already knew of the sacrifices. It seemed a small price to pay to be with the one I loved. But now... Now I am not so sure._

_In short, I have come to the conclusion that somewhere in our past, we have interpreted incorrectly some of our historical texts. We have taken literally what was meant to be metaphorical._

_Bleeding for Asgard is not an instruction to be followed in the manner we currently do. I believe it refers to being prepared to defend the realm, to fight for it, not to shorten our lives over and over again. By my calculations, we have lost between 5 and 13 monarchs and countless family members directly to this tradition. Who knows how many more indirectly?_

_If I had access to original text, perhaps I could prove a false etymology. As it is, I believe I can prove that sacrifices make no difference to the affairs of Asgard and much be stopped._

_We have had times of plenty and times of hardship, regardless of how often or how many times we bled. Surely if it has an effect, this would not be the case; we would be punished for a lack of observance, rewarded for our efforts. But to my mind, these are natural occurances, nothing more._

_I have been royalty a mere 6 summers, so I know my word is not trusted. They think me simply weak, afraid. It is not so. But having lost my dearest friend and love, I wish to prevent others suffering the same dreadful fate._

_I will leave Asgard soon. There is nothing for me here now. Good luck and may time smile upon you._

_And if you wish to know my name, future child, I would have you call me what she did - Kjaere._

"What does it mean?" Loki asked. "Kjaere is not a real name?"

Thor shrugged. Maybe he didn't know.

"It means sweetheart," Brunnhilde said. "You know. Beloved. But it's an old, old word."

Hmm. So whoever they were, they had married one of Thor's ancestors.

"It killed her, didn't it?" Loki said. "His wife. She died to the altar. And then he tried to warn them and they didn't listen."

"Do you think Hela has read this?" Brunnhilde asked. "Did she know the mirror trick?"

Well...

"I tried to tell her, but I'm not sure she listened. There was a lot going on at the time."

"If she has, it hasn't made her any less fervent," Thor said. "To be fair to her, it's only one person's word. A bereaved person at that. And it would mean admitting that her mother died for... For nothing. For a mistake."

"There's worse things to die for," Brunnhilde said softly. "What are we going to do about it? That's the question."

They were already doing what they could, Loki felt. The sacrifices had stopped, for now. Suspended perhaps, but that was progress in itself.

"Keep this picture safe," Thor said. "If Hela gets spooked, she may destroy the original. For posterity and security, we should keep this. Without these words, it would have just carried on, potentially forever."

"So we do nothing?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What do you propose we do? We've put things in motion. My mother is with us, my father is coming around. What more can we do?"

It was a difficult question.

"You know that the second something goes wrong, she'll try to go back," Brunnhilde said.

Loki was thinking it over, trying to see a way out.

Nothing was springing to mind, other than the fact that he desperately wanted to know Kjaere's real name.

After all, he felt he knew a little something about marrying into Asgardian royalty and striving to protect his love.

"Maybe we can find some of the same information?" he tried. "If it's out there."

Thor sighed again.

"Alright," he said. "Fine. If it will make you both feel better."


	63. Chapter 63

Even though they were doing well, this kind of archive search was time-consuming and dull and offered few tangible rewards.

They ended up back at Loki's least favourite book, the history of Asgard he'd read during his imprisonment.

At least they were able to cross reference the deaths, those who had 'died in royal duties'.

There were more than 13. A lot more, and it wasn't always clear if a disease was indeed a disease or if it was connected. There seemed to have been a rise in recent years, various aunts and uncles, royal cousins dying. Wives and husbands.

"Has something about the sacrifices changed?" Loki asked. "Some... I don't know, difference in the routine? How it's done?"

"If anything, it's gotten safer," Thor said. "The machine is much cleaner and faster. But I think... Maybe the frequency has increased. Maybe it's partially a lack of recovery harming people."

That might make sense. But why would they have done that?

They didn't hear Frigga approaching. Loki had noticed that she moved very quietly. Perhaps she wore very soft shoes under her flowing dresses.

"What are you three doing cooped up in here?" she asked.

"Looking for evidence to support our cause," Thor said.

Loki had half expected him to lie. He would have lied. But instead, Thor omitted just enough truth to allay suspicion. It was rather cunning really.

"Your father received a letter today," she said, laying a hand on Thor's shoulder. "From your friend in Wakanda, Princess Shuri. She wants to visit."

"Oh. And what does he think?"

She sighed lightly and sat down beside him. Loki tried to subtly hide his notes. Maybe she wouldn't be able to read his olden days writing, but still. He wasn't sure what she would think if she knew exactly what they were researching.

"He's not sure what to make of it really."

What did that mean?

Thor leant a little into her touch, raising his eyebrows.

"And what do you think?" he asked.

There was a lot being said in looks back and forth here, Loki noticed. A lot of trying to guess what the other was thinking perhaps. He could see the familial similarity between them now. He'd thought Thor very very image of Odin, but there was something around the eyes that was really quite striking.

"I found her mother very kind and graceful," Frigga said. "And the daughter... She seems very interesting and clever. Too clever, perhaps. And she seemed rather taken with the two of you."

Cautiously in favour, Loki surmised.

"There's a 'however' coming," Thor said. "I can feel it. That's the run up to a 'however' if ever I heard one."

She let out a chuckle, a laugh, a sound he'd never heard pass her lips before. She almost seemed surprised herself.

"However... I'm concerned how your sister will take it."

Ah. Yes. That was always going to be a sticking point.

"It's only two people," Thor said. "Hardly an army."

"An armed guard, though."

"Well, think of the opportunity that affords. She might learn something, some new... I don't know. Strategy."

"I was thinking that she might take a tour of the provinces during that time."

Hm. Well. That was an idea, wasn't it?

"She'll never buy it," Thor said. "And besides, how will we hide it from her?"

"I don't intend to hide it. I intend to suggest that she may be more comfortable being away from the palace while we entertain a visitor."

Thor shook his head.

"Somehow, I'm not sure she'll put up with that," he said. "She'll want to scrutinise everything that they do, look for weakness and risks. Don't reply yet. Let Hela get used to the idea first."

Frigga sighed, rolling her shoulders.

"Maybe you're right," she said. "I admit, I fear upsetting her further at this time, but I also wish to allow a visit. Perhaps the first of many."

It was certainly hopeful, but Loki shared Thor's caution. They shouldn't rush into things too quickly. There was a lot of risk.

"I'll mention it to her," Frigga said, standing up. "Or get your father to, perhaps. She'll take it better coming from him."

She left them in peace, a slightly sombre air following in her wake.

"Nothing is promised," Thor sighed. "Even if we succeed in stopping the sacrifices and in opening Asgard to the outside world a little, Hela will be queen one day. She can undo it all."

Loki took his hand, squeezing it.

"Then we just have to try to convince her that this is better so she won't."

They all knew that was going to be much easier said than done.


	64. Chapter 64

Waiting for Hela's inevitable explosion was nerve shredding. Loki felt like dinner was crawling by, glancing at Odin and waiting for him to mention Shuri, wondering if he was going to do it now, tonight, or maybe in private.

He waited until the very end of the meal, delicately patting his lips with a napkin, clearing his throat.

"We received communication from Wakanda this morning," he said. "Princess Shuri wishes to visit us. I am minded to accept."

Hela didn't even look up, pushing a vegetable that wasn't entirely unlike peas around her plate.

"Then accept," she said. "You are All-Father. It's your decision."

That's what she said. Or rather, that's what came out of her mouth. There was absolutely no emotion in it.

She looked up in the ensuing silence.

"What?" she asked. "You've made a decision. There's nothing more to be said."

"We wondered if you might have any objections," Frigga said.

A look of pure disdain. If such glances could be felt, Loki was sure Frigga would be wincing from it.

"I think it has been made quite clear that my objections don't matter. I'll play nice to the little scout, if that's what you're worried about. I don't want to give any more excuses to allow invasions."

"It's only two people," Thor said. "Maybe you'll even like them."

She put down her cutlery delicately, neatly.

"And I surmise you already knew, then. I'll be in my chambers. Goodnight."

Well, it could have gone worse, Loki supposed. There had been no yelling for one thing. No threats, no violence.

All the same, the icy detachment she'd shown was rather worrying too.

"That's settled then," Odin said. "I'll respond in the morning."

"You must tell us all about her," Frigga said, clinging to a pretence of normality it seemed.

"She's very intelligent," Thor said. "And inventive. But I think she's also a little too idealistic. You can't just change a whole culture overnight. It takes time."

Loki was a little surprised by his negativity, challenging him on it when they were in private.

"You don't really want her to come," he said, trying not to sound too accusatory.

Thor sighed, flopping into bed.

"I'm just worried about it, that's all. There's a lot that could go wrong."

"Like what? She'll have her guard."

"Hela will try to make trouble. That's just a fact."

"Then we need to counteract her. She's not stupid; she's not going to try assassinating her or anything."

"I hope not anyway."

This melancholy didn't suit him. And it was clear what was happening. He was beginning to feel restrained. Kept in.

He needed some time outdoors. And not within the palace grounds but really outside. Into nature.

"You know the forest beyond the city?" Loki asked. "Can we go there?"

Thor leant up on his elbows, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?"

No point in lying about it.

"I think it might do you good to get some fresh air."

He was right and Thor clearly knew it. He needed to be out. He needed to see the sky, needed to walk on uneven ground.

He lay back and beckoned to him, inviting Loki to take refuge in his arms.

"When did you start knowing me so well?" he asked.

Loki wasn't sure. Maybe when he'd fallen in love, all that time ago.

"You knew I existed we ever met," he said. "I had to catch up somehow."

Thor chuckled, kissing him.

"Fair enough," he said. "And you're right. It'll do us good. We can go after we see Shuri in the morning."

"Should we preempt your father's letter do you think?"

"Might as well. That's assuming it won't have already arrived of course. Our messages go slower than most of the rest of the universe's, but not that slow."

"I used to carry messages on foot for the mill," Loki said, dredging up a distant memory. "To the bank or the docks sometimes. They liked me because I could read; most of the others had to have the sign of the other business described to them. The one with the bird or the horse or the beehive. And why would a city kid know what a beehive looked like?"

"And were you fast?"

"I was gangly. Maybe they thought long legs would help. And it was nice to be singled out, to be honest. To be trusted. Not just another orphan, you know?"

He knew as he said it that Thor didn't. He'd been special all his life. It must be hard to imagine being ordinary.

And to his credit, Thor didn't pretend to. He squeezed him just a little tighter, warm and comforting.

"You were never just another orphan," he said softly. "None of you were."

"And you're not just another sacrifice."

He was deflecting, as usual. Didn't want to examine his own feelings too closely.

Thor let out a long breath, like he was deflating.

"I suppose I just need to prove it," he said.


	65. Chapter 65

Shuri had already heard of her invitation and was already excited by the time of their usual check in, asking them what seemed like dozens of questions about the weather and what she should pack and if there was anything from outside Asgard she could bring them.

"Just yourself," Thor assured her. "And, er... Your companion."

"Nakia," Shuri said. "She's a little reserved, but she's smart. You'll like her."

Loki wondered a little if she meant reserved by her standards or by anyone else's. After all, they were rather different things.

He was looking forward to getting out of the palace for a little while. It was a beautiful day, warm but not humid, a gentle breeze just moving the leaves of the ornamental trees.

They had to traverse the streets first, of course, Brunnhilde visibly a little frustrated by the lack of speed. They kept being stopped by passers by. Thor was naturally good at this kind of thing, personable, gracious when people approached them. Or maybe it had been entrenched in him from an early age, trained in.

People kept trying to give them gifts. Loki wasn't sure how Thor was able to refuse them without giving offence, but he could. Then again, he wasn't quite sure why people wanted to give them presents anyway; it wasn't like they were in need of anything material. They were some of the richest people in this whole world.

"I'm showing my husband the forest," Thor said and everyone cooed over them and Loki was sure he'd gone scarlet several minutes ago.

"Why do they treat us like this?" he asked. "Like they know us, like we make any daily difference to their lives? Just because we're royal?"

"Why else? Don't you come from a culture that sang a song about your monarch at any opportunity?"

"Well... yes, but that's because she was divinely appointed. No offence."

"Ha! None taken. And anyway, how do you know we're not divine?"

"I spent enough time thinking you were an angel to be pretty sure now."

He could feel the change in the air from the moment they stepped outside of the city gates. It was difficult to define, but there was a slight earthiness, closer to the smell of the old farm. Animal and natural.

Somehow the slight unpleasantness appealed to him. It wasn't the strange perfectionism of the city. It felt more real somehow.

Even Brunnhilde seemed to have had a weight lifted from her as they entered the dappled light of the forest.

"I miss Twanom," Thor sighed.

"What's that?"

"The moon we lived on. Our home."

"You lived on Twanom?" Brunnhilde asked, incredulous. "But I raided that. Twice."

"I was hiding extremely well, to be fair. I loved it enough to disguise my presence more than usual even. It's a beautiful place. And we were very happy there."

"We'll go back," Loki insisted, anxious to shake him out of this negative mood. "We'll live there again."

"I hope so."

"I know we will. Think about it."

After all, Thor had met himself. How would that be possible without going back in time? Therefore, they had to make it back to the ship with the time manipulator. And if they had that, they were clearly choosing where to live.

He wasn't quite sure how the life of petty crime fit into it, but maybe that was just an assumption on Thor's part.

"Quantum," Thor said. "Nothing is absolutely certain."

Maybe he didn't have faith, but Loki did.

They climbed steadily upwards until they reached a sort of viewpoint over the city. Loki wasn't sure if it was natural or if someone had cut the trees back.

It was beautiful. Shining, impressive. Over in the distance, Loki could just make out a shimmer of blue.

"Is that the sea?" he asked.

"I think so," Thor said, sitting down and stretching out his legs. "I've never seen it from up here before."

It was a strange colour, Loki thought, not like the sea back at home. A strangely deep shade, darker than he would have expected compared to the sky.

"If I thought my blood - our blood - was truly what supported this land, I'd give it willingly," Thor said. "But all it does is make us ill and obsessive. And that's no way to rule. You can't notice problems or think of solutions when your answer to everything is the same."

"I still think something must have changed," Loki said. "Some kind of increase in volume or frequency. Maybe some kind of big disaster driving them to it."

It was hard to believe, looking at Asgard now, that it had ever faced hardship.

So maybe it wasn't, maybe it was a more personal matter, like Kjaere's campaign. A family tragedy.

"I'm sorry," Brunnhilde said, a little awkwardly. "If I had known what would happen..."

"But you didn't know," Thor said. "You couldn't have known. It's fine. Maybe this is our destiny after all."

Loki looked at him, the sunlight on his face, the resignation there.

If there was one thing he'd learned in his strange, strange life, it was that destiny could be changed.


	66. Chapter 66

Even though the walk was not quite the roaring success that Loki might have liked, he did think a more serene calmness had come over Thor while they were out, that nature and gentle exercise had allowed him to breath a little more easily.

And with that achieved, he felt they both deserved a little cheering up.

"Thor, I think you're a bit... dusty. From the forest. We should wash before dinner."

It was clumsy at best, nothing that could even remotely be called suave or sophisticated, but Thor smiled at him and let himself be led by the hand into the wash room.

"I've been depressing you," he said, letting Loki remove his clothes with careful efficiency. "I'm sorry. That's not meant to be my job."

"And what is?"

"I'm supposed to make you happy."

Loki pouted at him, rubbing his hands down his arms.

"You do make me happy. It's everything else that's affecting us. Besides, you can't be happy all the time or you'd stop noticing it."

Maybe he was finally getting through, Thor smiling at him and pulling him under the warm flow of water to kiss him, hold him close in something close to a slow dance, reaching for the soap and setting about washing him.

There was a degree of mutual need here; a want to care and a wish to be taken care of. Really it was very fortunate that they fulfilled the right roles for each other.

It was so simple, really. Just having his skin caressed, his scalp massaged, thick fingers running through his hair to ease out the biggest tangles, letting it cascade down his back.

It was still a little choppy where they'd cut it for the wedding, but Loki rather liked how blunt and strange it was. Very different to the badly trimmed but smooth style he'd had as a young man and a million miles from having a bowl placed on his head and any escaping hair unceremoniously hacked off by the matron.

It felt very futuristic, to him anyway.

Somewhere along the way, Thor's touches grew less methodical and more playful, brushing up his sides and over his ribs, round to his nipples.

It was a slow but deliberate progression and Loki was happy to tease, acting like he hadn't noticed any questioning touches, any silent requests for permission.

Of course, he felt like Thor knew exactly what he was up to, tilting his head gently to the side to tease him with sucking kisses against his neck just above his translation device, slow and gentle.

It was a losing battle. He wouldn't have been able to hold out even if he'd wanted to. And he didn't want to, he was just letting them both wait for it, letting the anticipation build and build and build...

A brush of distinctly firm flesh against his lower back had him turning, spinning round so fast that he could easily have fallen without Thor's hands there to catch him, lunging at him for proper kisses.

The day of their reunion rushed forth from his memory unbidden, that day he'd come to wash and found his love had broken in to rescue him, and he wondered if Thor was similarly thinking of it. How happy he'd been. How soon that joy was threatened.

He clung just a little too hard to Thor's back if the faint grunt he felt against his lips was anything to go by, but then Thor was slipping a hand down between their bodies, trying to take both their cocks in his grasp, making Loki gasp and keen as they slid together.

What with all they had done together, it felt amazing that this could still send him weak at the knees, only habit seeming to keep him upright. That and the desperation he felt to keep kissing, like here under the steady flow of warm water was the safest place to be.

Thor held him afterwards, solid and sure, a rock in a flood as their mutual spend was washed away.

"We're alright, aren't we?" he asked.

Loki didn't really know what he meant, but he nodded all the same, content. They were alright. They were together, they were safe and Shuri was coming to see them. It might seem small, but it was a miracle considering how closed-off Asgard had been when he arrived.

He turned his face upwards, letting the water fall on it, finding Thor's cascading hair and a little smile.

"Have I managed to cheer you up?"

Thor chuckled.

"Of course. Always."


	67. Chapter 67

The announcement of Shuri's visit was greeted with great excitement. Asgard hadn't seen this much going on in such a short space of time for decades.

There was to be a welcome feast. A proper reception. A demonstration of Asgard's wealth amd, Loki suspected, its strength as well.

Shuri would be shown all the best sides of the kingdom and, if all went well, would leave greatly impressed by it all but also warning that they were not to be trifled with in any way.

"We'll hold a dance," Frigga said over dinner. "It has been so long since we had a chance. I was thinking at the wedding how nice it would be to have one, but we didn't have time to organise it."

"I'm not sure Shuri is quite the dancing type," Thor said uncertainly.

"It will be fun."

He didn't exactly seem convinced, and nor was Loki if he was honest.

"You'll have to teach me how," he said. "I've seen dancing, but I've never done it before."

"That can be arranged," Frigga said, smiling. "Oh, this takes me back. Hela, you were always the belle of the ball back then. Perhaps you could... prepare a recital."

Loki expected her to give a look that could curdle milk, but instead Hela looked startled, blinking across the table at her stepmother.

"I haven't done that in years," she said.

"Well, of course, I shan't bully you if you don't want to. I would very much enjoy it, though. Have a think about it."

Maybe she actually was. It felt like something of a miracle and Frigga practically glowed with happiness that her idea hadn't been immediately rejected.

Thor, on the other hand, seemed decidedly less enthralled.

"I hate dancing," he murmured to Loki in bed later. "I'm just... too big."

"Nonsense," Loki mumbled back, too sleepy to worry about accidentally saying something suggestive. "You're a perfect size."

Thor rumbled with amusement, but didn't tease him.

"Maybe it's that I have no rhythm, then."

Loki fell asleep with protests on his lips, but maybe the next day when a bright, breezy tutor arrived for them, like she'd been summoned out of the ether, he was beginning to see Thor's point.

It wasn't that he didn't have grace or flair, it was just where normally he was athletically gifted and skilled, it seemed that the moment there was another person involved, he began to second-guess his every move.

"Come along, Prince Thor," their tutor chirped, clapping her hands. "It's just like drills. One-two-three, two-two-three..."

"This is nothing like drills," Thor mumbled, his hand clutching at Loki's waist as he overshot the turn.

It was as though he was so terrified of stepping on his toes that he was determined to keep his feet as far away from Loki's as humanly possible.

Brunnhilde was decidedly unhappy about being roped in to help, but it was easier for everyone if Thor danced with the air for a little while, his arms stiffly wrapped around nothing, turning in jerky motions while Loki and Brunnhilde went through the steps next to him.

It was extremely awkward, but Loki felt they were getting better, little by little.

"You've just built yourself up too much," he told Thor during a break. "You just need to calm down a bit."

"I can't help it. You're so naturally good at this and I'm like a big lump that you have to drag around."

Maybe Loki was a tiny bit pleased to be undeniably good at something. He just seemed to take to it, like he'd been doing it all his life.

They showed marked improvement when an accompaniment was provided, a very young man playing something that wasn't entirely unlike a lyre. Loki had never heard such an instrument before but liked it very much.

When there was music, it all just made sense. And it seemed easier for Thor when he actually had something to dance to other than called out steps.

In time, they even managed it together, a little rough around the edges but serviceable. They wouldn't disgrace themselves, especially with a little more practice.

And it was nice to be held in Thor's arms being twirled around, he had to admit. Yet another experience he'd simply never expected to have.

In his first winter on the farm, he'd taken up the invitation to visit the local village where there was a Christmas dance in the town hall, mainly to take advantage of the large fires that would be burning. It would save him shivering.

He'd been fascinated by the country folk's dancing, all stamping feet and clapping hands. They'd all learned it from childhood, it seemed, the lilting melody of a badly tuned fiddle ringing out over the laughter and chatter.

No one asked him to dance. He was quite glad about it. He didn't know the steps and would have to face the shame of either trying to learn them or of declining a kindness.

This was going to be a more formal affair, clearly, but all the same. It was going to be nice to get to dance, finally.

And especially to know that he'd be warm afterwards. Even the memory of having to walk home again in the chill air made him shiver a little despite the warmth of Asgard.

"Do you get winter here?" he asked, out of nowhere.

"Yes, but it's not too bad. We get some frost and some snow, but it's not the months of freezing darkness that some other places get."

It would probably be beautiful, glittering in the morning sun. Loki liked the look of snow, if not the cold and wet that it brought. Seeing it from a secure, warm place with Thor beside him sounded wonderful.

"And... And the moon?" he asked. "Our moon, I mean."

"Oh, Twanom? Not so much. Too small to have seasons as such. But if you want a winter wonderland, I can provide that. We could go to Icpla, where it's always winter and the people live underground most of the year in the gem mines. Or maybe Ynwos for their candle festival."

The universe was so full of wonders.

"We just need to get through all of this first," Thor added.

"Dancing's not so bad," Loki said, even though he knew that wasn't what he meant.


	68. Chapter 68

The morning of Shuri's arrival saw new outfits delivered, the mysterious tailors apparently having been busy again.

To Loki's open delight, they weren't leather. They'd sent him a deep green tunic, embroidered in gold, a neckline that left a little to be desired as he felt it revealed a little too much of his chest, but it was breathable and flexible.

And, of course, he didn't mind having a lot of Thor's chest revealed in his complementing version...

The whole palace was a bustle of activity, reminding Loki strangely of an ant hill, lines of people carrying table cloths and plates and glassware towards the great hall. There seemed to be patterns to the movements, but he couldn't read them.

Frigga was directing everything, it seemed, part of the flow of people moving to her to ask for instructions and then moving away again. It was almost difficult to get near her, even with everyone who noticed Thor's approach parting like a wave.

"Where's Father?" he asked. "And Hela?"

"I believe they are each practising something for the evening. Your father intends to make a speech."

Thor didn't even try to disguise his apprehension.

"A speech? Really?"

"Humour him. It makes him happy to be stately. And your sister is preparing a performance, I gather. She's complaining about the lack of time, but I think she's secretly a little pleased to have the opportunity."

"How long has it been since she danced?" Loki asked.

"He hasn't in public since before Thor was born, I think."

That was somewhat suspicious, Loki felt, but he tried not to rock the boat. If she was genuinely making an effort to be friendly, it would be imprudent to be hostile.

They were completely superfluous to requirements, it seemed, everything happening around them. Thor was visibly a little anxious, a faint frown seldom leaving his face.

"It's too quiet," Loki guessed, even as the hustle of activity buzzed around them.

"Exactly," Thor said, heading for the fresh air.

"From what Shuri's said, this Nakia is very capable. Presumably she will be prepared to defend her princess from... anything untoward."

"But if she has weapons, Hela will claim it's an act of aggression."

He had a point, certainly, but maybe they were afraid of nothing.

"Maybe she's coming round," Loki said. "Maybe she's read Kjaere's words and realised that she's wrong."

"I wish I could believe that."

Even the town beyond the palace was alive with preparations, decorations being tweaked, streets swept. As if there was any dust here. Maybe they were just trying to find things to do.

Quite a crowd was already gathering around what looked like an amphitheatre without seating.

"What are they waiting for?" Loki asked.

"It's our mooring point. Leaves rather a lot to be desired these days. Back on the rare occasions that we used to travel, this is where the ships landed. People like to see it. They're trying to get a good vantage point."

Like seeing a galleon roll in, Loki supposed. Terribly exciting.

They didn't have to find a place to stand, of course. They were down with the rest of the royal family, even Hela resplendent in shimmering green and black. She looked more relaxed than Loki had ever seen her. It was unusual.

Perhaps dancing was good for her.

There was a loud gasp when the ship burst through the clouds, quite a small one really, possibly Shuri's personal craft. It was silver and sleek, like a flying fish, swooping through the sky.

It touched down like a leaf upon a pond, barely any impact at all, a sense of anticipation rippling through the crowd as they waited for the doors to open. Odin stood up a little straighter, waiting to welcome this visitor with all the necessary formality.

A walkway descended, followed immediately by Shuri's skipping form.

"Hello!" she laughed. "This is so retro! I love it."

Odin seemed a little taken aback, but he carried on regardless.

"Princess Shuri," he rumbled. "Welcome to Asgard."

There was a cheer, a sea of faces peering down at them curiously, excited to finally see this visitor. She waved to them, unabashed.

"It's so good to be here," she said, grinning.

"I believe you have met my wife, but may I introduce my daughter, Hela?"

Loki unconsciously held his breath as Shuri held out her hand to shake, like she hadn't been told anything even remotely unusual about her.

There was no apparent malice in Hela's smile or her grip. Either she was genuinely happy to see her, or she was a better actress than Loki thought.

A second figure descended, carrying a large bag and using some kind of button to close up the ship, bowing low.

"Oh," Shuri said. "I must introduce Nakia, my... Er..."

"Chaperone," Nakia said.

Loki wouldn't consider himself much of an expert, but she was an astonishingly beautiful woman, large, intelligent eyes and tightly cropped hair. She had a grace about her, a deliberate stillness.

"You must be tired after your journey," Frigga said. "Let us show you to the guest chambers."

It was a tone that offered no alternative, the whole troop of them heading into the palace.

The tension in both Loki and Thor's shoulders showed no sign of relenting.


	69. Chapter 69

Shuri found everything about Asgard equal parts fascinating and endearing, it seemed. Thor's family seemed quite nonplussed by her, answering her questions with a sort of confusion.

"How old is this palace? Is it traditional architecture? What's the heating system like? Ooh, these tapestries are beautiful - how were they made? Can I see the looms?"

Loki hadn't realised they still had them, let alone that they were operational. It was amazing how similar they were to the ones he'd worked with in his youth. The complex cloth machines, multiple colours woven in patterns.

Some things didn't change, it seemed. In centuries and centuries, this was still the best way to weave.

More mechanised than in his day, of course. The shuttle flew back and forth almost faster than his eye could follow, fabric being made as easily as scribbling a pencil on paper.

And in the same room, some kind of press, making an artificial leather in huge sheets.

No wonder they were able to manufacture his clothes so quickly if this was how simple the raw materials were to produce.

Hela had wandered off somewhere along the way, but Loki felt calmer without her. She'd kept... smiling. It worried him dreadfully.

"We intend to hold a welcome feast and dance in your honour, Princess," Frigga said, in a carefully polite tone. "Perhaps you would like to rest first?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you."

They had very clearly expected her to rest and didn't know what to do with a refusal.

"Loki and I can show Princess Shuri the grounds, Mother," Thor said, sweeping in to the rescue.

Evidently, preparations were not quite finished. Or maybe Frigga just wasn't used to so much inquisitive energy being contained in one person.

Shuri loved the palace walls though, the views over the city, happily waving to people.

"It is a very beautiful place," she said as they walked through Frigga's gardens, the herbal grasses springing beneath their feet. "If it wasn't for the whole suppression of news and the bleeding, it would be paradise."

"Um," Thor said. "You'll want to pretend you don't know about the sacrifices, by the way. It's a... A family-only type of thing. And Brunnhilde knows too, but that was something of an emergency."

He was glancing nervously at Nakia and she raised her hand to calm him.

"Fear not, Prince Thor," she said. "I'm so discreet that even my discretion is barely known. No one will get even the slightest hint that I know anything I shouldn't."

Speaking of discretion...

"Shuri mentioned that you and... And King T'Challa..." Loki began.

"Ah, she did, did she? Well, I'm sure you wouldn't embarrass me by asking any personal questions."

Fair enough. Loki had figured that she and he had something in common, being romantically involved with royalty. But if she didn't want to talk about it, that was her right.

"They are, though," Shuri said. "You're discreet but T'Challa isn't. He goes completely to pieces whenever you enter a room."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

Brunnhilde did, if her slightly disappointed expression was anything to go by. Maybe she'd been wondering if something other than a friendship would be possible.

Time for a subject change.

"Can we see the artificial fingers?" Loki asked.

In truth, he'd rather got used to Thor not having a complete set. In a strange way, it almost made his hand easier to hold. Smaller.

"Do you have a laboratory I can use to configure them?"

Loki looked at Thor, who looked a little unsure.

"We have an infirmary," he said uncertainly. "Really it depends what kind of set-up you need."

"Oh, I brought my own kit. I just need a bench, really, with enough space for you to sit on the other side of it."

As resourceful as ever, it seemed. And Loki got the distinct feeling that Thor would prefer to do this quietly and away from the prying eyes of even the medical staff, leading the way inside and up to their private rooms.

"Will the desk do?" he asked.

"Probably. I'll go fetch my tools."

With Brunnhilde dispatched to guide them, Thor let out a long sigh.

"You need to calm down," Loki said. "This is going well."

"Suspiciously well. I can practically smell disaster approaching."

"Maybe your nose is deceiving you."

"Maybe. But it's seldom led me wrong before."

Loki knew what he meant, but still. One of them ought to be positive and somehow the role had fallen to him.

"All will be well. You'll see."

His voice was rather more convincing than he actually felt.


	70. Chapter 70

"They're completely wireless, of course," Shuri said, moulding a kind of putty to Thor's finger stumps for a perfect fit. "Solar and warmth powered, micro-electrical. They'll run right off your body heat."

They were oddly pretty. Loki had expected some kind of external skin, something close to Thor's flesh tone, but instead she had made them of beautiful, gold-coloured metal, the joints shimmering in the light.

"The bending is very intuitive," she said, using tweezers to deftly attach screws and begin fitting the fingers into place. "You won't even really need to think about it, once I plug it into your translator core. I figured that would be the best place for it, since you already wear one."

It was slightly unnerving to see Thor reach under his hair and unplug the little connection that enabled them to communicate and hand over his necklace.

Like he was instantly aware of Loki's unease, he looked towards him.

"Can you still understand me?" he asked.

"Yes," Loki said.

"Was that a yes or a no?"

Exaggerated nodding seemed to get the message across.

And if Thor couldn't understand him...

"Hey, Thor. I love you."

It was cruel to tease him, but fun to have a harmless little secret. And none of the others were betraying him, Shuri concentrating too much, Brunnhilde shaking her head fondly and Nakia merely smiling when Thor raised an eyebrow at her.

For an odd moment, Loki felt completely at peace. For a moment, he could forget anything outside this room. There was just him and his love and their friends - the clever engineer and her chaperone and their guard. Almost like they were able to just relax and not worry.

Nakia curiously disconnected her own translator, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Go on," she said. "Say something."

An experiment of some kind.

"What should I say?" Loki asked. "Anything in particular?"

She smiled, blinking.

"Oh, it's so odd. I feel like I ought to understand you, but it's just out of reach. You can tell modern English evolved from it though. And that means you really are from the past."

She reconnected as easily as putting on a pair of shoes.

"I confess, I still don't fully understand how my additional vocabulary makes yours understand me," Loki said. "But I'm very glad it does."

"Oh, it's quite simple really," Shuri said, launching into talk of waves, of different parts of the brain, of the whole thing being a kind of meat computer.

Loki smiled politely at her.

She carefully rolled up her collection of tiny screwdrivers into a velvet cloth and handed Thor his necklace back.

"Alright. Try them out."

It was twitchy, jerking, but they worked. He could move them both at once and individually, sparkling in the Asgardian sunlight.

"They're wonderful," Thor said. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do this."

"Oh, it was no problem. It was fun, actually. Now, let me show you the special features."

She'd added more since the last time they'd seen them. Loki was a particular fan of the parts that could click together into a small comb. It promised even more excuses to have Thor play with his hair, stroking his head gently to ease out tangles.

"Exactly how formal is this dance tonight?" Shuri asked, frowning slightly.

"Somewhat. But you're our guest. You can wear whatever you want."

"Your brother took the liberty of packing some traditional clothes for you, Princess," Nakia said. "Presumably he foresaw exactly this kind of event."

By the look on her face, he might as well have packed her a potato sack.

"But it's so uncomfortable. Do I have to?"

"I won't tell him if you don't."

She did elect to try on the jewellery though. And very striking it was too, almost like a mask though her face was still visible, a series of tiny shining chains from her forehead back through her hair and either side of her nose to hold intricately carved jet in the shape of the jawbone of a great cat just beneath her chin.

"It's our symbol," she explained. "The panther."

"Like the British lion," Loki said.

She looked at him, surprised.

"You had lions in Britain in your time? Wild ones?"

"Oh. Oh, no, it was a symbol too."

"How strange. You didn't have any native animals you would prefer?"

Loki thought briefly about all the animals he'd ever seen. Rats, cats, dogs, horses, cows, sheep, pigs... Weasels. Pigeons, chickens. Foxes. Deer.

"It wasn't my decision," he said. "I wasn't asked."

At least he was funny, he figured.

"We should freshen up," Thor said. "They'll summon us soon."

Loki expected the metal fingers to be cold when Thor took his hand, but they weren't. Solid, yes, moreso than real fingers, but beautifully warm.

"Think you'll get used to them?" Thor asked, glancing down.

"Of course."

"If only they could do the dancing for me."

Loki kissed him on the cheek, the soft hair of his beard tickling his lips.

"You'll do fine. Just let me lead."


	71. Chapter 71

How they had made the great hall look so cosy, Loki would never know. The big space was now all soft lighting, fabric tablecloths, fires crackling in the large grates, musicians playing.

It was very flattering lighting. People were already dancing, chatting, having a good time.

The usual cheers rang out as they entered. It was nice to be so clearly loved, even in such a strange, impersonal way. They were certainly making the place festive.

"So do we... eat first?" Thor asked, taking his seat, Loki on his left and Shuri on his right.

"I believe your sister plans to perform before the food," Odin said, seeming a little surprised even as the words left his lips. Like he couldn't believe what he was saying.

Mm. Now, that was interesting. Was this finally going to be the moment that Hela revealed whatever scheme she had presumably been working on? Was she going to attack?

Loki looked down the table, trying to work out how quickly they could get in the way of anything hurled in Shuri's direction. The place settings were metal, pewter perhaps, quite solid. Maybe between them, they could fashion some sort of shield...

He joined in the applause when Hela walked in. She'd changed her clothes and had on an extravagant head-piece, almost like a spiked helmet.

Surely she couldn't dance in that. It was amazing she could get through doors.

Loki wasn't sure how exactly the lighting changed, but it did, growing brighter in the centre of the floor, sending dramatic shadows across the walls as she posed, her arms gracefully outstretched and toes pointed.

A steady drum beat started up, and then a haunting melody and Hela twirled, taking delicate steps. There was great strength evident in her every motion, deliberate but light steps, getting a loud gasp when she cartwheeled easily across the floor.

The music steadily grew faster and so did her movements, steps becoming leaps and flips, supporting herself on only one hand and then no hands, an acrobatic display that was as mesmeric as it was skilled.

Loki was aware that his jaw had dropped. He'd seen Hela practising drills before, all power and force, but he'd never have imagined this level of flexibility and rhythm.

The music reached a crescendo, a series of ever-more complex and impossible jumps until finally she was still, panting into empty air.

A moment's stunned silence and then uproarious applause, a smile spreading across Hela's face as she stood, bowing and approaching the top table.

"That was very impressive," Shuri said.

"Thank you. It was an honour to dance for you. Please excuse me while I refresh myself and change into something more suitable for dining."

She seemed friendly enough, but her tone was stilted. Loki was still suspicious.

All the same, her smile seemed genuine. She was happy. Really happy. Maybe she was just awkward around new people.

Maybe things were really making a change for the better.

Odin and Frigga certainly seemed to think so, sharing a little look of relief. Their family was getting back to normal, or at least so they hoped.

They were served starters, Hela's place remaining empty. Apparently she'd asked to be skipped but expected to be back in time for the main course.

"What's your impression of Asgard so far, Princess Shuri?" Odin asked, similarly a little awkward. They hadn't spoken to strangers in so long.

"Oh, it's beautiful. I can hardly wait to explore more of it - especially the big sea. I've never seen such a disparity between ocean and land mass before. Is it natural or manufactured to be that way?"

Loki let the conversation flow over him, discussions of reclaimed land and tide managment, the options afforded by artificial moons and tidal alternations. He knew a lot of the words, but they didn't mean much in context.

And he was distracted by some shuffling under the table, eventually identifying it as Thor's feet moving about.

He was trying to practise dancing.

It was adorable.

After a few moments, Loki caught his rhythm and joined in, walking his feet forward and back, to the side, and lift...

He spotted when Thor noticed, the tug of amusement on his lips, glancing at him. Loki could hardly wait to be in his arms, twirling around the hall.

But, alas, wait they had to, as the plates were cleared away, chatting in the gap before the the main courses were delivered.

Hela's seat remained empty, but she was probably just taking her time coming back. If she was uncomfortable, it was a neat way of avoiding that feeling.

"I understand you are a diplomat, Miss Nakia," Frigga said.

"Something like that. I'm... a negotiator. An ambassador."

It was difficult not to laugh a little bit as Nakia carefully skirted questions and kept her answers somehow full but vague at the same time. She told them a lot while telling them nothing.

It really was a skill.

"Where's Hela?" Odin asked suddenly. "Getting changed has taken a long time, even for her.

They all looked, staring at the air where she ought to be sitting, the plate of probably already cold food, all beginning to wonder.

"Brunnhilde," Thor said quietly. "Would you mind dreadfully checking where my sister has got to? No doubt she's just... fussing over something."

None of them seemed particularly surprised when she returned, shaking her head.

"She is not in her rooms, my Prince."

A moment of horrible silence passed, so different to the happy chatter throughout the rest of the hall.

"I know where she is," Thor said.


	72. Chapter 72

Loki thought he knew exactly where Hela was too. It was obvious when he thought about it. The calmness, the smiling, the sense of peace and serenity...

She'd seen an opportunity in the distraction of the meal to achieve exactly what she wanted.

"She's sacrificing, isn't she?" he asked.

"I think so," Thor sighed. "I hope I'm wrong, but..."

Colour drained a little from Odin's face, leaping to his feet, Frigga's hand on his arm immediately.

"Darling, do we have some of those beautiful light displays still in the storerooms?" she asked. "The best ones?"

Loki blinked at her, baffled. Was this really the time for that?

"What?" Odin stammered. "Why?"

"Because if we all suddenly leave the hall, it will be very suspicious and very evident that something is wrong which may cause a panic, but announcing a fireworks show out in the grounds will focus everyone's attention."

It took a moment for the idea to take hold, but then Odin was clapping his hands, forcing a smile and a jolly tone, inviting everyone out onto the lawns before dessert for further entertainment.

A few people seemed to know something was wrong, but not many. Some of the more senior guards and servants, a few suspicious-looking musicians. But they didn't question it.

Very Asgardian.

"Brunnhilde, come with me," Frigga said. "We'll sort the distraction. Princess Shuri, Nakia, my apologies for this family emergency. Please enjoy the fireworks."

"I'm coming with," Shuri said. "I can help."

No one argued with her.

They stepped out of the great hall at their usual sedate pace and then Thor set off at a run, sprinting. He'd only seen Thor run like that when they were fleeing the law. Or when their lives were in danger.

It meant he was scared.

"It's this way," Loki said. "I'll show you."

Odin waved a hand at him, unable to move too quickly.

"You go," he said. "I'll catch up. I know where it is."

Didn't he just?

It felt bizarre to run down the narrow corridor and then down the stairs into the depths of Asgard, running towards the sacrificing room, feeling the chill beginning to seep into his bones. He'd never wanted to be here again and now he was rushing towards it.

Towards horrors.

The smell of blood hit him first.

And then the sight of it.

There was so much. More than a pint. Much more, a pool of it spread across the floor that Thor was standing in.

He'd tipped Hela upside down, but it was clearly bad. Her limbs were loose, her lips so pale they had vanished into her face. Still wearing her dance headdress.

Thor looked up at him in pure panic.

"It's too much," he said. "It's taken too much, more than it ever should... She's overridden the system somehow, cancelled the limit. And her blood... There's something wrong with it. It's too... runny."

Too runny? It was a liquid, it was supposed to be...

He understood as soon as he stepped closer. This didn't have the right consistency. It was like water, like red water. So it would run out faster. So you could sacrifice quicker.

Nakia passed him in quick strides, pressing her fingers to Hela's neck, taking control.

"There is a pulse, but it's weak," she said. "She's lost a lot of blood and it looks like she's taken some kind of thinning agent so what she has left is doing a poor job."

"Will she be alright?" Loki asked.

She wasn't able to answer before a sob rang out, echoing around the room.

"I tried to stop him," Shuri said from the doorway. "I told him it was too awful."

Odin staggered forward, his face torn with anguish, horror.

"Save her," he croaked. "Do what you must, just save her, please."

Nakia was taking charge, but there was still fear in her eyes.

"She needs a transfusion. She needs a hospital, at least two units of blood, now. Get a stretcher, we'll have to move her immediately."

"I could do it here," Shuri said. "It'll be faster and keep it secret and contained. Just get me some synthetic type O negative and I'll source the right equipment."

Thor was already removing his shirt.

"Take my blood," he said. "It's the same type as hers. She can accept it."

Shuri shook her head, grabbing the sacrifice machine's arm without any ceremony and hacking it off at the base with a laser concealed in her belt. No wonder she loved them so much.

It was like she'd just slain a dragon to Loki's eyes, ripping it open, pulling out needles and cables and who knew what else, Nakia offering her hands as a makeshift table since there was nothing else.

"I need two units, Thor. Get me some synthetic."

"The hospital is on the other side of the palace - we'll never get it here in time! If you need two then just take two."

"You can only give one without it affecting your own blood supply or potentially your internal organs and I can't risk that."

"She's my sister! Let me do this. I have to."

Loki stopped Odin when he tried to step forward. It was clear what he had to do. It was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I have it," he said. "The same kind of blood. Take mine too. One unit each."

His heart was beating very fast, but he felt strangely calm all the same. They could do this.

No more deaths to the sacrifices.

Never again.


	73. Chapter 73

"It's a simple enough phenomenon," Shuri was saying as she carefully inserted a needle into Thor's arm. "Fluid always flows downwards when there's a difference in height. It's just gravity."

She was talking to calm herself, Loki thought. Trying to keep her fear under control.

It was rather impressive, how quickly she'd worked. And just how many tools she had concealed about her person.

As well as the laser cutter, her shoes had compartments in the base containing screwdrivers and spare pieces of wire, a tiny pair of extremely strong scissors, a foul smelling liquid which she used apparently to disinfect everything else...

Nakia gave her quite a look of disapproval, feeling Hela's neck again as Shuri attached a second needle to the opposite end of a kind of tube, slipping it carefully into Hela's arm.

"I just like to be prepared," she said. "You never know what might happen. This, for instance. Now, I'll have to estimate the volume, but that's doable. Thor, how's your heart rate? Your blood pressure?"

He blinked, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Uh... Fine?" he tried.

There were faint banging sounds overhead, explosions that had Loki panicking before he remembered the fireworks going off outside. Their distraction.

"I meant how quickly do you give your sacrifices? We'll have to time it as best we can."

"I'm pretty fast. About ten minutes maximum. Will that be quick enough for her?"

A glance between Shuri and Nakia told Loki that they really weren't completely sure. But they weren't dispairing. There was hope.

Frigga arrived, visibly taken aback by the scene before her but going to Odin immediately, comforting him, or at least trying to. He seemed to have reached a state of shock, his eyes glassy and only focussing on Hela's prone form.

Maybe Loki was being too hopeful, but he thought already that she was looking better, that her cheeks and lips had a little colour in them.

"You might want to tie something around your arm, Loki," Shuri said. "Bring your veins up."

She was preparing a clean needle. One for him.

The fear gripped him. Last time he'd done this, he'd fainted, and he hadn't really prepared tonight, hadn't had his multiple glasses of water...

Deep breaths. They were relying on him. Together, he and Thor were going to save her.

He used his belt, rolling up his sleeve, tying it tight. It was going to be a different situation - standing up, giving his blood for a real reason.

"Do you think she'll thank us for this?" he asked quietly.

"Not at first," Thor murmured back. "And maybe never out loud, but secretly she'll be grateful."

Maybe. And Odin certainly would.

Shuri carefully pulled the needle out of Thor's arm, letting it fall to the ground with a faint splash into the pool of blood, one of the machine's dressings in her other hand.

"You might want to put some pressure on that," she said.

The tube became semi-transparent as Thor's blood rushed down into Hela's veins.

"Ready, Loki?"

He was. Now it came to it, he was. He could do this.

Shuri's touch was different to the machine's. It wasn't like a sharp bite, more like a long scratch, a different kind of unpleasant.

And then it was his blood running downwards.

He didn't like looking at it, not with the smell still all around them, focussing on Hela's face instead.

And that meant he was able to notice when her eyelids started to flutter, then open properly, gazing at them in confusion.

But she was awake. She was alert.

"Odin," Loki said. "She's... She's back with us."

He rushed to her side instantly, helping Thor to carefully tip her upright, taking her hand.

"What were you thinking?" he said, trying to be angry but clearly close to tears. "We could have lost you."

She blinked at him like she didn't understand, closing her eyes again.

"You weren't meant to know," she whispered.

What did that mean? Was this some kind of... dreadful accident? She'd come down here, hoping to give a large sacrifice and get back to dinner before anyone noticed?

"I think it might be time to move to a proper hospital," Nakia said softly. "Now she's out of immediate danger."

Yes, that was probably sensible.

And they'd have to excuse her to the happy crowd above, enjoying the show and blissfully unaware of the panic and bloodshed beneath their feet.


	74. Chapter 74

Frigga organised the wheeled stretcher herself, even as Hela protested weakly that she was fine. It was just an accident, nothing to worry about.

"I need you two to go and lead the dancing," Frigga said. "Announce that Hela has been taken ill but that she wants the celebrations to continue."

It was maybe a sign of Thor's many years of living as a prince in his previous life that he took it in his stride, dispatching Brunnhilde to ready the musicians and escorting Shuri and Nakia back to the great hall.

"You probably saved her life," he said softly. "And my sister nearly dying aside, that's probably the best bit of diplomacy between Asgard and the world beyond we could ever have dreamed of."

"No problem," Shuri said. "Your sister almost dying aside, it was fun."

He was able to laugh, at least. They were out of danger, hopefully.

"Are you feeling alright, sweetheart?" he asked Loki. "We don't need to dance if you feel faint. No one will mind."

"You're not getting out of it that easily."

"It was worth a try."

He put on the mask, the prince mask, stepping into his father's usual place, smiling and holding his hands wide to attract attention.

"My friends," he said, his voice seemingly effortlessly bouncing to the back of the hall. "I am sorry to have to inform you that my sister is feeling unwell, but she wishes everyone a very good evening and wants the celebrations to continue."

Bit of an overstatement, Loki felt, but still.

"And so, with that in mind, I'd like to invite you to join myself and my husband on the dance floor."

The musicians were very professional, starting up as Thor took Loki's hand and led him forward, sweeping him into hold, visibly counting the beats before they stepped off in perfect synchronicity.

Muscle memory rather took over, twirling around the room, other couples getting up to join them.

It felt strangely like a dream. Like the end of the fairytale. And Thor was divine, his hands warm, a grace in his movements, a fluidity.

"Have you been pretending to be bad at this just to impress me now?"

"Not at all. I'm just better under pressure."

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind."

They smiled at one another, changing direction, sweeping their way through the crowd.

For a little while, they could forget. They could pretend they had no worries, that Hela hadn't just almost bled to death, that there was nothing except them and the music.

It was all very romantic, even coming to a stop at the end of the piece and especially when Thor pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Right in front of everyone, and yet private at the same time.

Such exertion, even relatively gentle, wasn't appreciated by his body though.

"I think I might need to sit down actually," he said quietly.

They returned to the top table, finding Shuri there alone, evidently enjoying the chilled berries and whipped cream that had been placed out as a light dessert.

"Where's Nakia?" Thor asked.

"On the floor with Brunnhilde."

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you care to dance?"

"No, thanks. I like music, but organised routines like this aren't really for me. I prefer to interpret it myself, to improvise. It's nice to watch though. Everyone's so happy."

They were. Even the people who approached to ask their best wishes to be passed on to Hela said how glad they were for this evening, how fun and beautiful it was.

If nothing else, at least they had achieved that. Brightened a few days. And that was valuable in itself.

Still, the worry was beginning to seep back into Loki's very bones. They'd saved Hela this time, but was it really an accident? Would she try again? Or would this be the sudden shock that would help her realise she was wrong?

Those were questions for tomorrow though. In the meantime, there was tonight.

"It's been a stressful evening," he observed casually. "Do you think we could sneak away before it gets very late?"

"I'm quite tired too," Shuri said. "The adrenaline hit has worn off. And I think tomorrow might be a long day."

Thor was clearly following Loki's train of thought, squeezing his hand a little.

"Do you want to go to bed?" he asked.

"I think so."

It wasn't difficult to say goodnight, to leave more alert people to keep going into the early hours, walking Shuri back to her room when Nakia opted to stay up a little longer.

It felt almost like the old days on Twanom, though with more privacy. Their chambers were far along a corridor, a little space of privacy.

Hardly a whole moon to themselves, but it would do.

Loki turned as soon as Thor closed the door behind them, wrapping his arms around him, and making his intentions very evident.

When had he grown so brave?


	75. Chapter 75

Thor let him lead, let him be in control of the kissing and of pulling their clothes off, of moving to the bed.

They could hide here for a little while longer, in the intimacy and closeness. And the gentleness, of course. Nothing strenuous until his body had had time to recharge.

Ha... Recharge. That was a word he'd learned from Thor.

And not the only thing, of course.

He rummaged by the side of the bed, hoping they'd abandoned the oil there, relieved that they had and he didn't have to go to the cupboard and leave the warmth of Thor's body.

He pressed a finger to Thor's lips, hoping he'd follow his meaning. He needed something of former times.

Or maybe a combination of old and new.

Thor met his gaze and deftly took his finger into his mouth, letting Loki turn him onto his side and fold himself into the space behind. Like they used to do, so long ago, back in the barn.

But this time, he had a vague idea what he was doing, slicking up his fingers and starting slowly, rubbing over the outside of Thor's entrance, little circles.

He waited until he could feel a degree of relaxation in the muscles before trying to push inside.

Thor's breath hitched, but in a good way, the sound of long anticipation being fulfilled, his hips already rocking a little into Loki's touch.

He could still remember his shock at this body, his belief that he was allowed to trespass on holy flesh, and it was somehow hardly any less surprising that a space prince was letting him do this, letting him touch in the most intimate of ways.

Of course, there was only so far he would go in this peaceful quiet, just the sound of their breathing in the safety of Thor's room.

Sometimes, it was best to ask.

"Are you ready?" he whispered.

"Yes," Thor murmured. "Mm, yes."

It wouldn't be true to say that Loki knew what he was doing, but he'd always been a fast learner. And there wasn't any pressure now. No fear, no anxiety about performing. He hadn't built it up in his mind for days on end.

Being gentle, maintaining this tranquility, lining up and pushing inside, gasping at the heat of Thor's body.

He clung tightly to Thor's chest, panting against his back, feeling Thor rubbing his arm encouragingly, finding his hand to squeeze.

"Feels good," he said softly. "Move whenever you want."

"A moment."

"Yeah, take your time."

One roll of his hips, however short, had them both moaning, Thor linking their fingers together and arching back towards him.

It was slow and uncoordinated and _perfect..._ No, he wasn't skilled at this, but, yes, he was effective.

Thor hummed in pleasure as he started to move with more purpose, kissing his shoulder and neck, wherever his lips happened to be, open and eager.

He could feel the motion of Thor's hand, helping with his own pleasure but not chasing it yet. Merely enjoying what Loki was doing. Meeting his motions, breathing in time with him.

He was wonderful. Loki didn't know how he'd ever got so lucky to have found someone so physically and, more importantly, so mentally, spiritually in tune with him. A man from across the universe, across time...

"I love you," Loki panted.

"Mm... I know. I love you too."

Maybe he didn't understand the full extent of what Loki was trying to tell him, but he would. In time. When the weight of it hit him in an unprepared moment.

Or, of course, maybe it already had.

Instinctively, Loki could feel his hips speeding up, firmer, more deliberate thrusts into the perfect heat of Thor's body, already clenching around his length...

He was close, Loki realised, equally surprised and proud. Thor was going to spill while he was still... still within him.

If he managed to last with that thought in his mind, of course...

"Oh, Loki... Mm..."

Clamping his eyes shut, Loki tried not to worry, tried to follow the tug of plessure in the depths of his being, to trust that they would both reach climax in time.

And it was easy to let go. Warm flesh beneath his hands, skin against skin, resting his forehead against Thor's back for extra leverage as they...

"Ah!"

"Oh!"

His whole body was alight, glowing, warm and spent, moaning as his cock slipped out and Thor rolled over to pull him into kisses.

He felt light-headed. Was that the sex or the mild blood loss or both?

Didn't matter. He was safe here, from fainting and from everything else.

Problems could wait until the morning.


	76. Chapter 76

For a little while upon waking, everything was perfect.

And then Loki noticed how sticky he was.

And then he remembered everything else.

"Do you think she's alright?" he asked, sensing that Thor was already awake beside him.

"They'd have probably come to get us if she wasn't. I'm going to wash."

"Want company?"

"Always, but I think we'd better show our faces sooner rather than later."

He was right, of course. They had to support everyone, Thor's parents particularly but also Shuri and Nakia. Yesterday had been... dramatic and in the cold light of day, everything was going to look different.

Breakfast looked different even, despite being the same food as usual. Fruit had been provided as well though, apparently on request.

The two filled guest chairs only served to make Hela's empty one more evident.

"How is she?" Thor asked.

"She'll live," Odin said, gruff and tired. "But... Well, her mind might take a bit more changing. She's been a little delirious due to the medication, talking about deaths and illness and... and Kjaere."

Brunnhilde dropped her staff, sending up an almighty clatter. Kjaere. Of course.

"Oh, the document that she stole," Shuri said, getting to the heart of things immediately. "Did we ever work out who wrote it?"

Odin stared at her for a moment before shrugging, taking it in his stride that she already knew much more than he expected.

"Her real name has been stricken from most records," he said. "But we know she was the wife of my five-times great aunt, Hela. The one Hela is named for. Or rather they were both named for the same ancestor."

Of course. Traditional names, traditional everything. No wonder it was so hard to find anything.

Loki was slightly reeling from the fact that Kjaere was a woman. He wasn't sure why. He'd just assumed.

"Hela read the document, but I'm not sure she believes it," Thor said. "And she probably doesn't want to believe it. That's why we've been trying to find more evidence, other things to back it up, but our library isn't the easiest to navigate."

Something else was clearly troubling him, picking at his food.

"Can we see her?" he asked eventually.

Frigga sighed gently, reaching across the table to take his hand.

"I don't think that's a good idea, darling," she said softly. "I don't think she's ready yet."

It had probably been quite a shock, accidentally almost killing herself and then having to be saved by a gang of interlopers.

Maybe she was so zealous that she'd rather have died than have their blood currently coursing through her veins.

"Can I take a look at your archive?" Shuri asked. "What kind of reference system are you working from?"

Odin fixed her with a steady look, his single eye resigned and tired.

"I dare say you will find it in need of modernisation," he said.

Thank seemed to be an understatement. Shuri seemed baffled that anyone could find anything when they showed her into the library, squinting in the dim light.

"So you don't have... any kind of digitisation? At all?"

"Not for the old stuff," Thor said. "More records just mean more risk of secrets getting out."

"But there must be something. An index, surely?"

"I don't think so. It's more or less in chronological order though."

It turned out it was much, much easier to find what you were looking for if you had a vague time period and a linked name.

They found the death of Hela. The other Hela, Kjaere's wife. The usual excuse that she'd been performing royal duties.

And at the back of the shelf of her era, shoved down the back of it, hidden away, they found exactly what they'd been looking for. All the research they'd been trying to do, already done.

"She hid it," Loki said, a little admiringly. "Where no one ever would ever look unless they knew."

"Well, no wonder we couldn't find anything," Thor said, rather more exasperated.

All the names. Some of the dates. All written using the mirror trick to keep them safe.

And the answer to Loki's biggest question - why there had been a rise in the number of deaths.

It had begun a few hundred years before Kjaere's time, a sudden, notable increase in the number of sacrifices. All stemming from one king, Vili.

"He must have had a reason," Thor said, squinting into a hand mirror. "He didn't do it just for his health."

"No," Nakia said, using some kind of mechanical viewer to turn the images for her. "He did it in the hope of having a child. Here, look, it says that he and his wife lost many over many years. Perhaps they thought if they gave enough blood, one would be spared by... Asgard itself."

"And did it work?"

"I... I don't think so. The succession seems to pass to a nephew following his death"

"How many children did they lose?" Loki asked.

"Erm... At least seven."

Where Loki was from - or more likely _when_ he was from - losing many children was normal. Almost expected. Sad, yes, devastating, but it happened.

He got the distinct feeling from the look on everyone's faces that that was no longer the case.

"Why didn't they seek medical help?" he asked instead. "What with all the advances you enjoy, surely they could find a reason, a cure?"

"Kjaere thinks they linked it with their blood, thinking it some kind of punishment, and then couldn't see past that. It is very difficult to change very fixed minds, after all. And then the nephew continued their routine, passed it to his children and... it became what you did. It became normal."

One couple's desperation turned into centuries of suffering.

Odin had been sitting very quietly at one end of their little table, not drinking the tea Frigga had had brought for him, but he finally stood up, every inch the statesman.

"This all began with a wish to protect children," he said. "It will end for the same reason."

He strode out of the room, clearly with no intention of being stopped.

No one tried.


	77. Chapter 77

The destruction of the sacrificing chamber happened in two stages. First, they dismantled the altar with a little help from Shuri's vast collection of tools. It was amazing that she'd managed to fit them all in her bag.

Loki agreed with her, however - laser cutters were incredibly useful.

"Is this actually going to work?" he asked once the sacrificial altar had been reduced to rubble. "Will it stop Hela trying again? Is there something special about the room or the flames or something?"

Apparently the flames ran on some kind of gas generated by the city in a way that Loki didn't fully understand. They were just flames. Nothing remarkable about them. Just like the gas lamps he'd almost forgotten about from his old life.

The room did seem to have some kind of significance though. It had been used for hundreds of years and having it permanently closed might change things.

"So are you planning to just shut it up?" Shuri asked, stripping the mechanical arm for parts. "Cement the place closed?"

"I think," Frigga said slowly and carefully, suggesting the second phase. "That we should make it into a memorial for all the ancestors who suffered here. And especially for Adelsk, our last loss."

Shrewd. Having a place to mourn her mother, to come to terms with everything, might help Hela recover.

They still hadn't seen her. Hadn't been allowed. Though from what he'd gleaned, Loki thought she was getting better, physically at least.

And as for him and Thor...

"We can... leave soon, probably," Loki said at night, nervous to be broaching the subject almost, hiding in the dark. "Come back to visit often, of course."

"Yes," Thor said. "We can."

There was a big question floating in the air between them, and Loki decided to voice it for fear of bursting if he didn't.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. "I mean, you won't be chased across the universe anymore. You won't have to hide or... be a rogue."

And that had Thor laughing, sending their worries shattering into a million pieces for a moment, at least.

"Oh, I don't know," he said. "I like to think it made me charming. But I know what you mean. Maybe it's time to... live an honest life. I still want to earn my own money though. How about you?"

Loki considered it. A choice. The whole world, the whole universe, at his disposal.

And he could be anything. Do anything.

It was a little bit overwhelming.

"Of course, you don't have to decide right now," Thor said, sensing his feelings. "You don't have to decide forever. Or ever decide, technically."

A lifetime of never having a choice and now he had far, far too many...

"I want to see more of the universe," he said. "There's so much out there. And I want to learn, to discover. That's what I want. And I'd like to do it with you."

He couldn't imagine many better ways to spend his life if he was honest.

"Of course, you realise that this means that future you was a liar," Loki said thoughtfully.

"How do you mean?"

"He implied that you were still on the run."

He could practically see Thor wrestling over whether to leap to his own defence or admit that Loki was right.

"He simply omitted certain things, that's all."

"Oh, like you omitted that you were a prince?"

Loki was teasing, but Thor grew a little serious.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, cupping Loki's cheek, his hand warm and soothing. "I really thought it would protect you."

"Well... maybe you don't have to protect me all the time. We make a fair team, I think."

"And sometimes, you're the one taking care of me."

Maybe that was what being together was really all about. Mutual care.

"You know, I can't be too harsh on future me," Thor said thoughtfully a few minutes later.

"Mm?" Loki said, falling asleep.

"Well, telling me I'd meet someone I'd love, someone unlike anyone else I'd ever met, that was something I dreamed of, that I wanted so much. But if he'd tried to describe all this..."

"What?"

"I'd never have believed him in a million years."


	78. Chapter 78

Walking into breakfast and finding Hela sitting in her usual chair felt like a strange dream. For one thing, she looked very soft. Like she'd slept well, her hair loose and a little tousled, wearing a dark robe.

"Good morning," she said, clearing her throat, like it was the first time she'd spoken that day.

Thor had paused in the doorway, or rather stopped immediately, in shock.

"Where are Mother and Father?" he asked.

"I... I asked them to let us dine in private. They're entertaining your guests. I think we need to talk. You and I."

Loki looked to Thor, wary, the two of them making their way to the table with a degree of fear. Was this a trick? What was she up to?

Not making eye contact. That was something.

"You saved my life," she said softly. "Both of you. Thank you."

"We weren't sure you'd appreciate it," Thor said. "But we couldn't stand by and do nothing."

She sighed a little, tilting her head to the side.

"I didn't, at first. I would have wanted to fall for Asgard. To follow my mother. But I have reflected and learned and recognised that I do not want to die. It's not my time. And so... So I think you're right."

It was clearly very difficult to say. Loki felt extremely awkward, unsure what to say.

But Thor knew. Or at least he had something else he wanted to get off his chest.

"You know I always looked up to you, right?" he said. "When we were kids... Or when I was a kid and you were nearly grown up, I wanted to be like you. Do everything you did, be as good as you. And maybe that's partly why I left, because I realised that I couldn't."

"You can be anything you want, Thor. You know that."

Thor smiled sadly at her.

"I knew I could never be as loyal to Asgard as you are. I couldn't feel that fervor. You have a connection to this place that I just can't match, willing to give anything for it."

She seemed embarassed, looking away, a faint bloom upon her cheeks.

"I sacrificed your fingers," she said. "I'm sorry."

"I'll live."

Typical Thor, lessening the impact upon himself. Trying not to be vulnerable.

"That's not enough," Hela said. "I can't fix it, I can't make it better..."

"Plenty people have lost much more than me. You lost more than me. You lost your mother."

It was like a thread snapping, a sudden give in Hela's bearing, tears springing to her eyes and her shoulders hunching protectively.

"I couldn't let it go," she whispered. "I couldn't bear the thought that she died for nothing, scared and alone."

Thor didn't even bother walking around the table, vaulting himself over it to hug her, like he was the older, protective sibling, hushing gently as she wept.

"She didn't die for nothing," Thor said. "She believed that gave her life for you. For us. For Asgard. And we will remember her forever as the last person to make that sacrifice. My mother had an idea..."

"I know. She... She told me."

"And do you like it?"

She sniffed hard, trying to wipe her eyes, trying to regain some steel.

"The design needs some work. She says I can help revise it. Make it how I'd like it to be."

Loki had a strong feeling that he was intruding on a family moment, that he ought to slip quietly away and let them heal a little, but when he moved to stand, Thor looked at him in confusion, frowning, like there was no reason at all that he shouldn't be there.

A rush of warmth flowed through him. He wasn't trespassing. He was allowed to be present.

"Glass of water?" Loki said, trying to cover.

This was family, perhaps, as he had never known it. Regrets and tears, but forgiveness and comfort too.

Hela seized the cup from him gratefully, gulping it.

"I don't understand how you can bear to be in the same room as me after what I did," she said.

Thor shrugged.

"You're my sister."

It made sense to him, apparently. Loki was a little more on Hela's side, watching her anxiously picking at her sleeve.

"So... So what will you do now?" she asked. "Are you staying?"

A little sigh from Thor. He hadn't told his family yet.

"No," he said. "Not for long. We'll visit all the time, of course, and if you want then you can come to us. But I can't stay here forever. There's too much to see and do out there."

He looked at Loki, smiling at him, already thinking of all the adventures they'd have.

"Besides," he continued. "Asgard will get bored of us if we hang about too long. Got to maintain that air of mystery for the people to love us."

Loki rolled his eyes, but fond all the same. Thor was trying to be glib, to pretend he wasn't so affected by the prospect of an approaching parting, however temporary.

And Loki would take care of that later.


	79. Chapter 79

"Are you sure you're alright?" Loki murmured as they made their way through the palace towards Frigga's sitting room. Hela had gone to get dressed.

"How do you mean?" Thor asked.

"Well... Have you really forgiven her?"

Thor paused, looking down at his new fingers. They already seemed a part of him, no issues at all.

"I'll get there," he said. "She... She thought she was doing the right thing and I'm sure her own mind will punish her enough with the guilt. Time will heal it."

He was evading the question.

"That's a no," Loki said.

"It's a not yet. But I know I'll get there."

Maybe that was fair.

"And leaving Asgard?"

Those eyes told him a lot, regret and excitement mixing in a strange blend of guilty anticipation.

"I accepted a long time ago that this land would not be my home forever. And I thought I knew what home was, that it was a place I could find. But I think I was wrong. It's more of a feeling. It's what I feel when we're together. Waking up next to you, hearing your voice..."

Well, if he thought a few pretty words and kisses were going to still Loki's worries, he was...

Mm...

He was only temporarily distracted, especially when they were announced to the royal family.

Shuri was... Loki wasn't quite sure what exactly she was up to, but she had her tools out, and Odin was watching with rapt attention.

"Your father finds himself very intrigued by the princess's technical skills," Frigga whispered. "Now that circumstances are a little less fraught."

"What are they doing?" Loki asked.

"No idea, but it occasionally goes bang. Miss Nakia does not seem concerned though, so I trust that all is well."

Indeed, Nakia and Brunnhilde were talking, her glass device openly on display, discussing a planet they had both visited, apparently.

Thor squared his shoulders, taking a deep breath.

"I think Loki and I should leave soon," he said, possibly at a louder volume than he had actually meant to.

Odin looked up at them in surprise, but then nodded.

"Of course," he said. "I understand."

A little nonplussed, Thor blinked at him.

"Are... You do?"

Odin had looked away, trying to hide his real feelings. Ah. That was where Thor got it from, then.

"In the last few days, I have seen more from the outside world than I had since you left. And a great deal of it is wondrous. How could I ask you to stay away from that? You have a life beyond this realm. A home, a husband. Maybe... we should begin exploring more. All of us."

He turned, pointing a screwdriver at Brunnhilde.

"I even have an idea of who our first ambassador ought to be."

She stammered at him.

"Me?" she managed eventually, before remembering herself and adding a quick "Sire?"

"Why not? You have relevant experience of the world outside, contacts beyond Asgard. I think you'd be ideal."

She seemed to be having some trouble getting her head around that.

Frigga seemed a little more upset, though she was hiding it well.

"I've rather grown accustomed to having you here," she said.

This was clearly what Thor had been afraid of. What he'd been worried about. Breaking his mother's heart all over again.

"It won't be like last time," he said gently. "We'll come back and visit all the time. But we can't live here. Not forever. It's not right for us."

She understood, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"When will you go?" she asked.

Thor rubbed the back of his neck, awkward.

"Well, our ship is still in Wakanda, so... I figured we could hitch a ride back. But I know Princess Shuri wants to see the ocean before she leaves."

"Ooh, yes!" Shuri said, her eyes looking enormous behind some magnifying goggles. "We should all go. The sea air will do you good."

Maybe she was right. A little family trip before a temporary parting.

And hopefully the healing power of nature would particularly help Hela.


	80. Chapter 80

The colour of the sea hadn't been an illusion from a distance. This water was definitely a darker shade of blue than anything Loki had ever seen on Earth.

Shuri even confirmed it for him, asking about its chemical make-up, taking a small sample in a jar to look at in her own lab.

It was so strange to see the royal family outside. Not Thor, of course, who looked more like normal out in the sun, his hair tangling a little in the wind. He was in his natural habitat.

Seeing Odin and Frigga tentatively stepping into the water was rather different though. They reminded Loki a little of a cartoon he'd seen on a scrap of newspaper once of some politician or other and his wife dressed in matching striped bathing suits.

The satirical stuff hadn't made a great deal of sense if you were unfamiliar with the figures involved.

Hela sat on the beach, legs curled under her, gazing out at the horizon. But she seemed peaceful at least.

Thor took a seat next to her, a little way apart so as not to invade on her space, squeezing Loki's hand just before he let go.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm getting there," she said.

This was private. Loki thought he understood what Thor meant about them being the only two people in the universe who understood their position. She'd never understand his life beyond and he'd never know her passion for Asgard, but they'd still grown up together.

They had some things to discuss just the two of them perhaps.

Loki turned towards the sea. He'd done his share of paddling in his childhood, but this was rather different. It was warmer for one thing and less... fetid.

He took off his shoes and rolled up his trousers, enjoying the soft sand beneath his toes, and stepped into the water.

It was so refreshing. The salt air, so different to what he associated as sea smell, the blue water clear enough for him to watch the shimmer of sunlight across his skin.

Shuri was swimming a little further out than the shallows, her feet gently breaking the surface while Shuri tread water and kept an eye on her. Loki felt he wasn't quite brave enough for that yet. They'd been provided with what was supposedly suitable bathers, but they were rather indecent to his eyes.

Maybe one day, but preferably not in front of his new family-in-law.

He heard faint splashes behind him, turning back into the sun to find Thor coming to join him and Hela dressed in a far more suitable outfit as far as he was concerned, tight but covering her whole body. She tied back her hair and dived into the water, surfacing several feet out and turning onto her back, floating on the surface.

"How is she?" Loki asked.

"I think this is helping."

"Good."

They stood in companionable quiet, waving to Shuri when she spotted them, just letting the atmosphere wash over them, the curve where the sea met the sky on the horizon drawing Loki's eye.

"Are you ready to go?" Thor asked softly.

"No, I'm enjoying it."

"Mm. I actually meant Asgard."

Loki gazed out to sea and considered it. He'd been so ready to go for such a long time and now that the reality was upon him, it seemed almost too soon.

"Ought we?" he heard himself say, even though it was what he wanted, really. "Shouldn't we wait until things are back to normal?"

"Well, us being here won't be normal."

That was true. He had a point. Maybe they should go, maybe they should let Asgard settle into life without them.

It was a big, beautiful world out there and he knew he wanted to see at least some of it.

"I suppose the sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back to visit," he said. "Or at least maybe that's how your mother should think of it."

Thor slipped an arm around him, their feet touching beneath the water.

"It's not forever this time," he said. "Which I feel is a big improvement. And they know you'll be there to keep an eye on me. Keep me out of trouble."

There was a long pause, the gentle swishing sound of waves lapping the shore the only noise, steady and peaceful. Like the land was breathing.

"You do know that's not at all what's going to happen, right?" Loki asked.

"Oh, of course. But they don't know that."


	81. Chapter 81

Shuri's ship was a lot bigger than it appeared from the outside, providing a very comfortable trip back to Wakanda.

It had been a strange farewell, only packing a few things, Frigga very evidently trying to keep control of her emotions in front of the crowd who had come to wave them off.

"We'll come and visit soon," Thor said. "Or maybe you can come and visit us. I've given Heimdall the coordinates, and how to contact us."

Loki tried to imagine Odin and Frigga sleeping on the couch bed and struggled.

Hela had thrown her arms around Thor in a tight hug, giving Loki some hope for the future.

And now here they were above the rich forests of Wakanda, feeling rather overdressed even as Loki had agreed it was best to keep their Asgardian finery for the next time.

Thor seemed happier. They'd buried some demons.

There wasn't a waiting crowd of the public to see them in. The comings and goings of the royal family here were ordinary, completely without note. But T'Challa was there with their mother and...

"Who's that?" Loki asked.

"No idea," Nakia said.

It was a woman, or at least Loki thought so, but rather more distractingly, her skin was the most astonishing shade of pink. Bright pink. The colour of sunsets in winter, or maybe someone who had been severely sunburned.

"Oh," Brunnhilde said, sounding shocked but pleased all at once. "That's my... Er... Well, she's a... friend."

Ah. Loki raised his eyebrows and met Thor's matching expression. _Friend,_ indeed. And that was why she sprinted across the landing yard as soon as they disembarked and threw herself into Brunnhilde's arms.

"Is it true?" she asked. "They say you've been made ambassador."

An awkward cough.

"Yes, it's true. Moving up in the world, I guess."

"Oh, don't be modest; it's wonderful."

Loki was managing to keep a straight face just about, waiting for introductions.

"Uh..." Brunnhilde said. "Everyone, this is Secrig. She's... kind of my girlfriend."

There didn't seem to be much 'kind of' about it, even as she looked a little embarrassed to be revealing such personal aspects of her life.

"I thought for sure you'd be stuck there forever," Secrig was saying.

"No," Brunnhilde said. "You knew I'd come back for you. And, er... You've met King T'Challa?"

"Well, when you told me you were coming here, I got in touch and once I'd proven that I was who I said, he very kindly let me come to meet you. Tell me all about it. Were you terribly heroic in saving the princess?"

"Extremely heroic," Thor said. "We could never have done it without her."

Embarrassed she may be, but equally pleased to see her special person. It must have been dreadful being separated for so long, as Loki knew.

They were invited to stay for dinner, of course, Shuri excitedly explaining all about their adventures, even as she was gently reminded that blood and near-death experiences were not quite table conversation.

"What will you do now, Prince Thor?" T'Challa asked. "You and Prince Loki? I hope you don't object to the titles."

"Not at all. But, well, we haven't quite decided. Mending things, probably. We're very good at that. Making a living, travelling. That kind of thing."

"Surely not back to scavenging?"

"Maybe less of that, but... Well, why not? You'd be amazed what gets thrown away. You just need to see the potential in things."

And in people, Loki thought. Beyond the cards they were dealt at birth.

"Well, you're welcome here any time."

"Oh!" Shuri said. "I made some improvements to your ship before I visited, by the way."

That was one way of putting it. From the outside, it was the same vessel, but inside...

"Two chairs," Thor said. "A permanent co-pilot seat."

"Well, you can't keep Loki in the passenger seat forever. And I've worked on your warp drive, your time jumper, your debris shields and, of course, your brakes which were completely shot by the way..."

Loki couldn't keep his eyes off the additional chair. Right in front of the controls, meant for him. To sit at Thor's side instead of through in the back.

It felt quite surreal to actually sit in it, though, to see the buttons illuminate before him, close enough to touch.

Of course, the last time he'd done something like that, Thor had been minus a couple of fingers and bleeding heavily, but now...

Now the universe was waiting.

Thor typed in some coordinates, smiling, in his element, waving happily to Shuri, T'Challa, Brunnhilde and Secrig out of the artificial window.

"Press that red button," he said, pointing.

"What will it do?" Loki asked.

Thor smiled at him.

"Take us home, of course."


	82. Chapter 82

Oh, Twanom... Loki hadn't appreciated just how much he'd missed it until he saw that familiar surface, the green planet swirling beautifully beneath them.

Of course, being away from home for so long had had consequences. Dust, mainly. And some weeds had sprouted along the entrance way, some with really quite impressive thorns.

But that could wait for the morning. They shook out the blankets for a bit of freshness and crawled into bed, lying close together having got used to the restriction of a mattress.

By the morning, they were spread-eagled across the room, their limbs haphazardly crossing at wrists and ankles. A little connection in the night.

It felt strange to wake up there and not in Asgard. To pull on stretchy, breathable clothes, with short sleeves and with no parts made of metal. To feel like he could breathe properly, that they really were masters of their own destiny once more.

"So, uh... I think today we should clean this place up a little, head out for some supplies and then I should fulfil a promise I made a long time ago," Thor said, a little awkward, wiping down the countertops.

It was fairly clear what he was talking about and Loki agreed immediately.

After all, it would be all the sweeter once they'd got through all their chores.

Maybe that was what made it pass so quickly, their little home soon all in order, the weeds removed from the hallway and fed into the fuel creator.

"So, food?" Thor said.

"You go," Loki said. "I'm going to air out some of the pillows a bit more."

"Alright."

He had no intention of doing anything of the sort, only carrying a few outside as cover while Thor prepared the ship and took off in a roar of sound.

And then Loki ran inside, stripped off his clothes and got into the bathing pool, hurriedly scrubbing his skin and washing his hair with the good soap, the stuff he'd missed, even the smell of it soothing him.

He was going to be ready and waiting when Thor came back, prepared, but he wasn't sure how long he'd have to do it. It could be an hour or barely any time at all depending on how far Thor intended to go in search of dinner.

Should he be _prepared_ prepared?

Hmm. Yes. Much as he liked the feeling of Thor's fingers, he was too impatient to wait for that.

He let himself dry off, combing his hair flat, wishing there was a mirror or that he knew how to activate Thor's cameras to check how he looked. Although, of course, it might break his nerve if he didn't look enticing enough.

Then again, Thor always looked at him like he was enticing in these situations, and always looked at him like he mattered, like he was important, so maybe that didn't matter.

He took himself into the bedroom, the little bottle of slick right where they left it, nestled by the wall.

Loki was torn between taking his time and rushing, trying to find a middle ground of being thorough but also not being too long about it. He wanted to be ready. He wanted to stride out to meet his love like something from a dream. Like one of his most secret dreams of youth, where perfect angels came to him when he least expected it.

Was that the ship approaching?

Alright, maybe running nude through the house wasn't the most dignified of actions, but he still had time to prepare himself, take a deep breath and carefully step outside, pretending his feet weren't complaining about the cold, hard ground.

Thor was closing up, a box tucked under his arm, turning round and visibly startling.

"Oh," he said.

Indeed.

He put down his burden, immediately tugging off his clothes, shirtless by the time Loki reached him and pulled him into kisses, his fingers resting at his waist.

"Got impatient?" he murmured half against Loki's lips.

"I wanted to surprise you."

Thor laughed.

"Well, I am suitably surprised. And very overdressed."

He was a little. Loki stepped out of the shadow of the ship, into full sun, letting it warm his skin, and watched as Thor abandoned the rest of his clothes, enjoying the evident excitement, the eagerness, exactly what he'd been hoping to evoke.

"How do you want me?" Thor asked, his hair shining, face open and happy and loving.

"On your back," Loki said. "Unless that would be too uncomfortable."

"I think I can risk a few bruises here or there."

He was already dropping to his knees, almost casually wrapping his lips around Loki's cock, like he couldn't bear to pass it without a quick taste, before stretching himself out among the grass, the very picture of decadence.

"Sometimes I doubted we'd ever get here," he said.

Loki straddled him, knees on the ground, feeling the heat of his flesh.

"I didn't."

His hand found Thor's cock behind him, lining up and beginning a slow, slow lowering of his body.

Maybe he ought to have been a tiny bit more generous with the slick...

All the same, as he gasped in his breath, eyes tightly closed, Thor rubbing his thighs comfortingly, he felt a sense of peace enter his whole being, his very soul.

It was only increased when he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Thor's immediately, looking up at him in wonder and such affection.

A slow swivel of his hips had them both moaning, Thor's grip instinctively tightening.

"Go gently," he said.

"But I want..."

Thor laughed and sat up, wrapping his arms around Loki's back, capturing him in kisses.

And for a few moments, Loki remained there, feeling like the whole universe had shrunk to just the two of them, just him held safely in Thor's arms, legs hooked around his hips, as close as it was possible for two people to be in the warmth of a nearby sun.

And then Thor gently rolled his hips upwards, just a little, just a little movement. And then again and again...

Loki let himself rest against Thor's shoulder for a moment, the great green planet shimmering on the horizon, just letting this imprint upon his memory.

And then something within him twinged, a sudden spark that nudged him from pleasant sensation to deep desire.

His cock was rubbing against Thor's stomach, but it wasn't enough even when he began to meet Thor's motions, chasing his pleasure.

"I've got you," Thor said, laying back a little, giving Loki more range to rock his hips, wrapping his hand around him with firm, determined strokes.

Was it any wonder that he finished quickly? A dream fulfilled, a heavenly setting, the kind of love he had never really thought would be his, feeling as Thor bucked upwards, growing close, twitching and finally spilling within him only seconds before Loki's spend hit his stomach, both of them panting with the effort.

Not that that stopped them kissing, of course.

There would always be time for that.


	83. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some years later...

Loki leant nonchalantly against the counter of the best refried bean seller in the nearest three galaxies, his long coat fluttering in the breeze, idly watching the news ticker projected on a nearby building. He smiled slightly as Frigga's face appeared, as gracious as ever, and then Hela, stately and dignified. Their diplomatic visit to Sascra was going very well, it seemed.

"Anything else?"

"No, thank you."

He scanned the payment through, taking the usual two cartons, ready for home. Thor would be done soon, a pair of restored chairs delivered to a coffee bar nearby. They valued iconic Earth decor, apparently, but Loki hadn't recognised the style.

And then a crossbow bolt flew over his head, ripping through the stall's weather shade.

Oh, not again...

"Nebula!" he yelled as people around him screamed and ran for cover. "We've been over this - we're not worth it anymore."

The familiar heavy footsteps of a cyborg clomped towards him, her weapon arm still raised.

"Someone somewhere must want you," she growled. "I'll take any bounty I can."

This was the third time she'd tracked them down this year. Hopefully soon someone would give her a real contract, someone worth hunting, so she'd forget about them.

Keeping hold of his precious cargo, Loki surveyed the square, noting the exits, the potential cover, the...

Ah.

"You should look behind you," he said.

Nebula rolled her eyes, which was rather impressive since one was enhanced into a fully independent globe, opening her mouth to sneer a reply.

Thor finished sneaking up on her, his artificial fingers sparking as he pressed them to her arm, locking all her limbs into place and sending her juddering to the floor.

Some people might have quipped, but there was no time. That little short-out wouldn't hold her for long, just hopefully long enough.

Loki set off at a run, holding the food in front of him, Thor already leaping his way through the market place, apologising to anyone he passed.

"Where to?" Loki called.

"Don't know. We'll find out when we get there."

"Dr Jane's?"

"She's on holiday."

Oh, typical...

"This is just like old times!" Thor said, grinning, joyful, exactly that reckless fool Loki had fallen for so long ago.

"Run now, laugh later."

The ships's doors opened at Thor's touch, starting up the engines as Loki carefully stored their food in the back, trying not to worry as Thor hissed through his teeth.

"Oh, dear," he said as Loki strapped himself in. "She looks even angrier than normal."

And that was saying something. Nebula was firing on them, somewhat wildly, taking out one of Thor's cameras.

"How are the shields?"

"They'll hold, but I'd rather not put them under too much pressure unnecessarily."

Loki jerked the ship upwards, focussing on just getting into open atmosphere, checking all the angles he could for pursuit. Their best bet would be getting away before she managed to take off.

"OK," he said. "Where to? Can't go home just yet, so..."

He looked to Thor, surprised to find that all the joy had drained from his face. In fact, he looked stunned, like he'd seen a ghost.

"What is it?"

"I... I think it might be today."

What did that mean, today? What was he talking about?

With a trembling hand, Thor reached for a button that Loki had never seen him use.

The time jumper.

Oh... _Today._

"Are you sure? Do you look the way you remember yourself looking?"

"More or less. It's just... Well, I knew this day would come and yet I'm still surprised."

Loki pressed the button for him, setting the coordinates for Twanom. They'd long ago set the date to the one Thor recalled as when his future self had visited and given him the clue that put them onto this path.

"What am I going to say?" Thor said shakily.

"What do you mean? You were there."

"Yeah, but I don't remember it word for word!"

"Well... Say the bits you know and make up the rest. And it will be right."

He wasn't used to Thor being nervous. He was afraid of messing it up. Which was endearing and sweet.

"I need some gloves," he said suddenly, unbuckling his seatbelt and rushing to the drawers.

Loki looked at him in confusion.

"What, you remember gloves?"

"No, but I feel like I would definitely remember if my future self was missing a couple of fingers."

Ah. Maybe that made sense, even if wearing woolens in the ship's steady climate control wasn't really necessary.

Landing their ship next to its younger self was a little odd. Like a weird dream. Faintly unreal. And, of course, the hidden space they used to use when they were hiding wasn't prepared for two. Loki landed as gently as he could, but it was still a tight squeeze.

"OK," Thor said, shaking himself. "OK, OK. Here goes."

It seemed like his younger self had already awoken in a panic from the clattering sounds echoing around them. Hopefully he would ask questions first of this double rather than attack without thinking, but you never knew.

No time like the present... Or the past, rather.

Opening the door while Loki hid in the shadows, Thor held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"It's alright," he said. "It's alright, er, Thor. I'm you. Or you'll be me one day? Something like that. I just need a place to hide for five minutes and then I'll be gone. It's all going to be fine."

There was a definite pause and then a second voice that was almost exactly the Thor's he knew but not quite.

"Prove it. Say something only I'd know."

"Uh... OK. You found that ship in a lake and rebuilt it over months of tinkering. It's not so much vintage as garbage but it became really important to fix something this big, to prove how far you'd come even though no one else would ever know."

It seemed to pass muster if the relieved sigh was anything to go on.

"I thought you might be a trap of some kind sent by my... _our_ parents," Young Thor said. "So they still haven't caught us, even in your time?"

The hesitation almost made Loki laugh. Trying not to lie, but also not to give anything too important away. It was a difficult line to tread.

"I probably shouldn't tell you anything about that. Could cause a temporo-spatial paradox."

"Oh, come on! When am I going to get this chance again? You've got to tell me something. Please?"

Thor laughed.

"I know that look," he said. "I used to use it all the time, so why would it work on me?"

"One thing. Just one. No details or anything. Surely that couldn't hurt."

They both knew he was going to give in, but Thor made a great show of thinking about it, tapping his chin.

"Alright," he said. "One question. Choose carefully."

"Am I always going to be alone?" Young Thor blurted out with a haste that made Loki's heart ache. He was so lonely. "Will I ever meet someone... you know, permanent? Or at least longer term?"

In the pale light of night on Twanom, Loki could see his Thor smiling wryly.

"Yes," he said. "You will. And he's wonderful."

Not so bad yourself, Loki added internally.

"He? A man? Alright. But how will I know? What does he look like?"

"Hey! One question only. Though I suppose... I suppose one clue won't hurt."

"Yes?"

Oh, his eagerness was so palpable.

"There are no other men quite like him," Thor said. "Remember that. And now I should really be going."

"How long before I meet him?" Young Thor asked, brash and excited. "Does he fall for me first or me for him? Where is he now while you're here?"

"You'll find out when the time is right," Thor called as he closed the door, turning round and running his hands down his face.

"That was much, much weirder this time round," he said. "Alright. Let's go home."

They didn't even have to fly, the world simply swirling around them and rearranging itself into their present. Safe and known. No more hiding.

"Doesn't this technically mean that Nebula set all this in motion?" Loki said. "She chased us into the past and that meant you could plant the seed of what I would say and convince yourself to take me with you."

"In a roundabout way. If I knew her address, I'd send her a present."

They stepped onto familiar soil, only slightly cooled food under their arms. Nothing a little reheating wouldn't fix.

"What would you say to your younger self if you had the chance?" Thor asked.

What a question.

"Well, it's difficult. I think I'd have been more nervous to come if I knew about spaceships and lasers and sacrifices. I'd have had to put it in words that I would have understood back then."

It came to him like a whisper on the breeze halfway through dinner, smiling a little, taking Thor's hand, feeling the join from skin to metal beneath his fingertips.

"I suppose I'd tell myself to keep believing in angels."


End file.
